,transcriber's note3 ,unusual and inconsistent spelling is as printed4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,flight ,,into ,,egypt4 ,,sunday ,,stories ,,stories ,,from ,,the ,,old ,,and ,,new ,,testaments ,by ,,catharine ,,shaw ,author of ,cherry's ,choice1 ,mother's ,bible ,stories1 ,suffer ,little ,children1 etc41 etc4 ,,john ,f4 ,,shaw ,,co41 ,,ltd4 #c1 ,pilgrim ,street1 ,london1 ,e4,c4#d ,british ,manufacture4 ,,contents4 ,i4 ,the ,message to the ,shepherds ,,ii4 ,his ,star ,,iii4 ,the ,flight into ,egypt ,,iv4 ,found in the ,temple ,v4 ,at ,jordan ,,vi4 ,nazareth where ,he was brought up ,,vii4 ,the ,well at ,nazareth ,,viii4 ,at ,bethany ,,ix4 ,the ,temptation ,x4 ,the ,deep ,well ,,xi4 ,suffer ,little ,children to come unto ,me ,,xii4 ,follow ,me ,,xiii4 ,lazarus ,,xiv4 ,the ,widow's ,mite ,,xv4 ,do this in ,remembrance of ,me ,,xvi4 ,the ,lame ,man ,leaping ,,xvii4 ,gethsemane ,,xviii4 ,the ,trial ,,xix4 ,the ,king of the ,jews ,,xx4 ,the ,soldiers ,mocked ,him ,,xxi4 ,jesus ,carrying ,his ,cross ,,xxii4 ,the ,cross of ,jesus ,,xxiii4 ,the ,sealed ,tomb ,,xxiv4 ,the ,resurrection ,,xxv4 ,on the ,shore at ,dawn ,,xxvi4 ,going to the ,father ,,xxvii4 ,when the ,earth was made ,beautiful ,,xxviii4 ,adam and ,eve ,,xxix4 ,cain and ,abel ,,xxx4 ,the ,escape from ,sodom ,,xxxi4 ,the ,tower of ,babel ,,xxxii4 ,the ,friend of ,god ,,xxxiii4 ,in a ,thirsty ,land ,,xxxiv4 ,the ,offering of ,isaac ,,xxxv4 ,a ,bargain ,between ,two ,brothers ,,xxxvi4 ,the ,ladder up to ,heaven ,,xxxvii4 ,jacob meets ,rachel ,,xxxviii4 ,the ,story of ,joseph ,,xxxix4 ,jacob ,comes into ,egypt ,,xl4 ,moses and the ,children of ,israel ,,xli4 ,the ,rod of ,god ,,xlii4 ,pharaoh's ,refusal ,,xliii4 ,the ,passover ,,xliv4 ,bread from ,heaven ,,xlv4 ,the ,tabernacle in the ,wilderness ,,xlvi4 ,breaking ,god's ,law ,,xlvii4 ,a ,great ,victory ,,xlviii4 ,caleb's ,daughter ,,xlix4 ,the ,first ,king ,,sunday ,,stories ,i4 ,the ,message to the ,shepherds ,in the dark night1 all was still and quiet in those fields at ,bethlehem1 where the shepherds watched their flock and gazed up into the starry sky1 waiting for the dawn4 ,but as they looked1 suddenly they saw an angel of the ,lord close to them1 and a wonderful light shone all round them--such a glory as they had never seen before1 even in the brightest day4 ,the shepherds were very frightened1 but the angel spoke to them at once2 and he said to them1 what ,god says to us so many times in the ,bible3 ,fear not6 ,you may think how anxiously the shepherds listened to the angel's words2 and those words have been repeated thousands and thousands of times all over the world1 and have made heavy hearts rejoice4 ,listen to the angel's message3 ,fear not6 for1 behold1 ,i bring you good tidings of great joy1 which shall be to all people4 ,still the shepherds held their breath to listen1 and still the glory of the ,lord shone round them4 ,was that all the message8 ,what were the glad tidings which would make everybody joyful8 ,ah6 ,here it is3 ,for unto you is born this day in the city of ,david a ,saviour1 which is ,christ the ,lord6 ,did the shepherds turn and look eagerly towards the little village over the fields8 ,a ,saviour8 ,christ the ,lord8 ,but hush6 ,the angel has not finished his message3 ,and this shall be a sign unto you3 ,ye shall find the ,babe wrapped in swaddling clothes1 lying in a manger4 ,and then1 as if the news was too great and too glad for them to keep silence any longer1 suddenly there was with the angel thousands more angels1 a multitude of the heavenly host1 praising ,god1 and saying1 ,glory to ,god in the highest1 and on earth peace1 good will towards men6 ,then all the angels went back to heaven1 and the shepherds said to each other1 ,let us go1 and see this thing that has come to pass1 which the ,lord hath made known to us4 ,so they ran very quickly to ,bethlehem1 and there1 in the stable of the inn1 they found ,mary and ,joseph1 with the ,holy ,babe wrapped in swaddling clothes1 and lying in the manger6 ,then the shepherds understood what the angel had meant about the sign2 that this little ,babe was the ,one they were looking for1 and was to be the ,saviour of the world4 ,how glad they were6 ,they were only poor men1 those shepherds1 among the poorest in the land1 but they had the honour of being told of ,god's great gift1 and they had seen ,him with their own eyes4 ,no wonder that they went out and told everybody they met that the ,babe lying in the manger was ,christ the ,lord4 ,,ii4 ,his ,star ,how happy those men look6 ,they are pointing to a bright star1 and it is one which they are very glad to see4 ,they have come a very long journey2 and they have had to go through hot deserts where there is no water to be had4 ,what made them take that journey1 do you think8 ,when people go a long way1 they generally want to see some one at the end of it4 ,and these wise men from the ,east wanted to see some one too4 ,they had come all that way to see a ,king6 ,when they reached the end of their journey and got to ,jerusalem1 their first question was1 ,where is ,he that is born ,king of the ,jews8 for we have seen ,his star in the ,east1 and are come to worship ,him4 ,now ,herod was the king of the ,jews at that time1 a king set up by the ,romans2 and when he heard what the wise men said1 he did not like it at all4 ,so he inquired of the chief priests whether they knew where ,christ should be born2 and when he understood that ,god had said in the ,scriptures that ,he should be born in ,bethlehem1 he sent secretly for the wise men1 and told them to search for the ,baby ,king1 and when they had found ,him1 to let him know1 and he would come and worship ,him too4 ,so the wise men left ,king ,herod1 and when they began their journey again1 lo6 ,the star which they had seen in the ,east1 went before them1 till it came and stood over where the young child was4 ,when they saw the star1 they rejoiced with exceeding great joy4 ,and when they were come into the house1 they saw the dear little ,baby with ,mary ,his mother1 and they fell down and worshipped ,him2 and when they had opened their treasures--which you know the camels had brought all that way--they presented to the dear ,lord ,jesus gifts from their store1 gold1 and frankincense1 and myrrh4 ,then ,god warned them in a dream to go back to their country another way1 and not to return to ,herod1 who was a wicked man1 and did not really want to worship the ,lord ,jesus at all4 ,do you not think you would have liked to be with the wise men1 and have found the dear little ,baby1 and have had the joy of giving ,him gifts from your treasures8 ,if you say ,yes1 dear children1 then remember that you have a treasure which the dear ,lord ,jesus wants above all else--that is1 the love of your heart6 ,do not forget that we can make ,jesus glad now1 by giving ,him that6 ,,iii4 ,the ,flight into ,egypt ,i have told you about the wise men who saw the star of ,jesus in the ,east1 and how ,king ,herod heard of it and was very troubled4 ,herod was afraid that if the real ,king whom the godly ,jews were expecting to come very soon should be born1 he would lose his throne2 so he sent for the chief priests and scribes1 who knew more about the ,scriptures than any one else1 and asked them where ,christ should be born4 ,they told him at once that in the book of the prophet ,micah it was foretold1 #gjj years before1 that the ,ruler of ,israel should be born at ,bethlehem in the land of ,judah4 ,so ,herod sent the wise men to find the young ,child1 promising to come and worship ,him too4 ,but the wise men were warned by ,god not to go back to ,herod after they had seen the ,lord ,jesus4 ,then ,herod was so angry that he sent to ,bethlehem and killed all the little baby boys he could find4 ,but ,god had taken care of the ,lord ,jesus1 and before ,herod's soldiers could get to ,bethlehem1 ,he was far away6 ,for ,god had spoken to ,joseph in a dream1 and had told him to take the little ,babe1 and ,mary ,his mother1 right away down into ,egypt1 and to stay there till ,he sent him word4 ,joseph was a very good man1 and obeyed ,god in all things4 ,when the ,angel told him to go down into ,egypt1 he arose at once1 and set out in the night with ,mary and the ,babe on their journey4 ,by and by1 when the wicked ,king ,herod was dead1 ,god sent an angel again to ,joseph1 and told him to take the little ,child and ,his mother back to ,palestine1 directing him to go to ,nazareth1 so that the words of the prophet might be fulfilled3 ,he shall be called a ,nazarene4 ,so ,joseph and ,mary left ,egypt and came back to ,nazareth1 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the ,lord by the prophet1 saying1 ,out of ,egypt have ,i called my ,son4 ,we must never forget1 children1 that ,jesus is the ,son of ,god6 ,he became a little child1 and lived on earth as a man1 in order that ,he might die for us2 but after ,his death on the cross1 ,he rose from the grave1 and went back to heaven1 and there ,he is now1 ready to help us at any moment when we speak to ,him4 ,he is alive for evermore6 ,nazareth was not a very good place1 but the ,holy ,child ,jesus was brought up there for thirty years4 ,he1 who did no sin and was pure and good1 lived in the midst of sinful people1 so that ,he might be a holy pattern to all of us--showing that we may be good with ,god's help wherever we are6 ,,iv4 ,found in the ,temple ,it is nice to think that the dear ,lord ,jesus was a boy1 just the age that you little boys and girls are to-day4 ,and in ,his holy and blameless life1 while ,he lived on this earth1 we have the great ,example of how we ought to live too4 ,the ,jews went up to ,jerusalem to worship at the ,passover ,feast every year1 and when ,jesus was twelve years old1 ,joseph went up to worship as other ,jewish men did1 and the mother of ,jesus went too4 ,a number of other people from the country villages travelled together1 so that there was a very large company4 ,when they all set out to go home again1 ,jesus stayed behind in ,jerusalem1 and ,his mother and ,joseph went a day's journey before they found out that ,he was not with the rest of the travellers4 ,but when they could not find ,him1 they turned back again to ,jerusalem1 and looked for ,him for three whole days4 ,illustration3 ,,listening ,,to ,,the ,,learned ,,men ,,and ,,asking ,,them ,,questions4 ,at length1 they found ,him in the ,temple of ,god1 listening to the learned men and asking them questions4 ,and all that heard ,him were astonished at ,his understanding and ,his answers4 ,then ,his mother told ,him how she and ,joseph had looked for ,him so long4 ,and ,he gave them that gentle answer which1 from the ,son of ,god and the ,son of man as ,he was1 meant so much1 ,how is it that you looked for ,me8 ,did you not know that ,i must be about ,my ,father's business8 ,he was speaking of ,his ,heavenly ,father1 and of the glorious and loving work which ,he had come on earth to do4 ,his mother ,mary thought a great deal about ,his sayings1 and though she could not fully understand all that was going to happen1 she watched her gentle ,son with ever-increasing wonder and love1 as she saw ,his obedience and wisdom1 and how ,he grew towards manhood1 loved and praised by all who knew ,him4 ,to all children1 just growing out of children into boys and girls1 our blessed ,lord's obedience comes as a great encouragement4 ,the ,bible says ,he was subject to ,his parents2 that means that ,he was always ready to obey in ,his earthly home1 and to live a quiet life in a carpenter's shop in the lowly town of ,nazareth6 ,v4 ,at ,jordan ,john the ,baptist had been sent by ,god to baptize the people for the remission of sins1 and to tell them that the ,lamb of ,god who was to take away the sin of the world was soon coming to live among them1 and to be their ,saviour4 ,and it came to pass in those days1 that ,jesus came from ,nazareth 4 4 4 and was baptized of ,john in ,jordan4 ,and straightway coming up out of the water1 ,he saw the heavens opened1 and the ,spirit like a dove descending upon ,him2 and there came a voice from heaven1 saying1 ',thou art ,my beloved ,son1 in whom ,i am well pleased4' ,and ,john saw1 and bare record1 that this is the ,son of ,god4 ,so now we know1 children1 what was happening all those eighteen years at ,nazareth1 while ,jesus grew from a boy into a man4 ,the people at ,nazareth were offended at ,him1 when1 after ,his baptism1 ,he began to go about the country healing the sick1 and teaching the people about ,god2 and they said1 scornfully1 ,is not this the ,carpenter8 ,but ,god gives us the whole history of those eighteen quiet years in one sentence-- ,this is ,my beloved ,son in whom ,i am well pleased6 ,when ,john saw ,jesus coming to him to be baptized1 he had exclaimed1-- ,behold the ,lamb of ,god1 which taketh away the sin of the world6 ,and two of his disciples1 hearing him speak1 turned and followed ,jesus4 ,may we hear those blessed words1 and follow ,him too6 ,,vi4 ,nazareth where ,he was brought up ,when the ,lord ,jesus was on earth1 ,he lived among men for thirty-three and a half years4 ,we have in the ,new ,testament only little glimpses of ,his life during the first thirty years4 ,first as a little baby2 then1 as a boy of twelve1 we see ,him journeying to ,jerusalem to be present at the ,passover ,feast1 and we are told that when ,he returned home to ,nazareth ,he was subject to ,his mother and ,joseph1 and obedient to them in all things4 ,illustration3 ,,found ,,in ,,the ,,temple4 ,here for eighteen quiet years ,jesus lived learning the trade of a carpenter1 and working with ,his own blessed hands1 making the simple things that were used by the country people around ,him--seats1 and tables1 ploughs1 and yokes for oxen4 ,is it not nice to think that ,jesus knows all about making yokes6 ,do you not remember afterwards1 how ,he said1 ,take ,my yoke upon you1 and learn of ,,me 4 4 4 for ,my yoke is easy1 and ,my burden is light8 ,so children1 ,jesus knows exactly all about the weight of the yoke you may have to bear4 ,everybody has some trial or burden2 but ,jesus says1 if you will come to ,him1 the yoke ,he has made for you will be light4 ,i like to think that when ,he made yokes for the oxen1 ,he made them as comfortable and easy and light as they could possibly be made1 so that no rough edge should gall the patient animal as he pulled the heavy plough6 ,when ,jesus was thirty years old1 all the wonderful things began which we read of in the ,gospels4 ,his first public appearance was when ,he came to ,john the ,baptist to be baptized by him in the river ,jordan1 which we shall read about on the next page4 ,soon after this ,he began ,his public ministry4 ,one ,sabbath day1 ,he went to the synagogue as was ,his custom1 and stood up to read from the ,holy ,book4 ,the servant or attendant gave ,him a roll of the ,prophet ,isaiah1 and1 when ,he had found the place1 ,he began to read4 ,and what do you think the ,son of ,god1 the ,saviour of the ,world1 read to explain ,his great mission8 ,he read3 ,the ,lord 4 4 4 hath anointed ,me to preach good tidings to the poor2 ,he hath sent ,me to heal the brokenhearted2 to preach deliverance to the captives1 and recovering of sight to the blind2 to set at liberty them that are bruised4 ,he comes to each one of us first of all with the promise of forgiveness4 ,his name means that6 ,jesus3 for ,he shall save ,his people from their sins4 ,,vii4 ,the ,well at ,nazareth ,in the story belonging to the last picture1 we heard how ,god sent an angel to ,joseph in a dream1 and told him to take the ,lord ,jesus and ,his mother away from ,egypt1 and to go back to their own city1 ,nazareth4 ,our next picture is of the public well at ,nazareth1 where people even to this very day go to draw all the water which they want4 ,for you know1 children1 that water is not laid on in eastern countries1 but has to be fetched from long distances in jars or skins4 ,the women and children generally do this2 and the ,lord ,jesus when ,he was a little boy must have gone daily to this well with ,his mother1 keeping her company in the long hot walks to and fro1 and helping her to carry the jars of water back to their home4 ,if you were to go to ,palestine1 the land where ,jesus lived1 you would see 7besides1 the women who come to the wells7 the water-carriers1 who have large pig-skins supported by straps to their shoulders4 ,these they fill with water1 and tie up the neck securely with a string2 and then they carry the heavy skin to the next town or village2 and as they go along they call out-- ,ho6 ,thirsty ones1 come and buy water6 ,here is water6 ,do you want to buy it8 ,then the people who have any money to spare1 and who do not want to walk the long distance to the well1 come out to the water-carriers and have their jars filled and pay for it4 ,do you remember what ,god says about that in the #eeth chapter of ,isaiah8 ,ho6 ,every one that thirsteth1 come ye to the waters1 and he that hath no money come and buy4 ,yea1 come and buy wine and milk without money and without price4 ,ah1 children1 ,god gives us ,his gifts without money and without price6 ,the ,living ,water which ,jesus promises1 we have only to ask of ,him and we shall be given it4 ,for ,jesus is the ,living ,water ,himself1 and those who drink of that water and have ,jesus in their hearts1 will find that ,he makes them happy1 and that having ,him for their ,saviour they have all they need6 ,we read of many wells in the ,bible1 and some of them are to be found now4 ,there is ,jacob's ,well1 where ,jesus promised the ,living ,water to the woman of ,samaria2 and there is this well at ,nazareth1 which is called ,mary's ,well now1 because people feel sure that ,mary1 the dear mother of ,jesus1 must have drawn water at it when she lived at ,nazareth4 ,it is nice to think that the feet of ,jesus as a little child walked along those roads2 that ,his eyes rested on those very hills that surround ,nazareth2 that ,he picked some of the countless flowers that grow all over the fields and make a carpet of beautiful colours such as we never see here4 ,this was the home of ,jesus all the time ,he was a child2 and here ,he lived every day1 and watched ,joseph at his work in his carpenter's shop4 ,it was here that ,he lived an obedient1 dutiful life1 and grew in favour with ,god and with men4 ,it was here ,he pleased ,his ,heavenly ,father in all things4 ,it is a nice thought1 children1 that whatever age you are1 ,he was just that age too2 so that ,he knows what children's feelings are1 and all their little trials or joys or temptations4 ,he lives in heaven now1 it is true1 but ,he is ready to help you if you look up to ,him4 ,i do not mean looking up with your eyes1 but with your heart and your thoughts4 ,just a little word or two spoken in ,your heart will bring help from ,jesus6 ,a little prayer of three words has made many a person happy when he was miserable before4 ,lord help me6 or ,lord save me6 will bring ,jesus near in a moment2 and ,he does help and save6 ,,viii4 ,at ,bethany ,there seems to have been one home especially where the ,lord ,jesus loved to visit4 ,we hear a great deal about the people who lived in this home1 perhaps more about them than any other of the friends of ,jesus4 ,their names were ,lazarus1 ,martha and ,mary4 ,one day the ,lord ,jesus was going about healing the sick1 and teaching people about ,his ,heavenly ,father1 and in ,his journey ,he came to the village of ,bethany1 where ,martha and ,mary and ,lazarus lived4 ,martha was a very industrious1 energetic woman1 and when she saw ,jesus and ,his disciples coming1 ,i dare say she ran out to meet them1 and invited them into her house to have something to eat4 ,she bustled about and spread the table2 she told her servants what to bring to set before the large company who had suddenly come to her2 and with joyful willingness she hurried to put before them whatever she could think of to make them welcome4 ,suddenly her eyes fell upon her only sister1 ,mary4 ,she was not bustling about and getting the dinner ready2 she was sitting near ,jesus1 eagerly listening to ,his words1 and satisfied to be in ,his presence4 ,poor ,martha6 ,she loved to hurry about and make ,jesus welcome1 but to have her sister sit idle and enjoy to hear ,him talk1 was more than she could bear4 ,so she got quite cross and vexed4 ,she felt that it was too hard2 and she ran to ,jesus and asked ,him how it was ,he did not care that ,mary had left her all the work to do alone1 and begged ,him to bid ,mary come and help her4 ,and then ,jesus turned to her and said those gentle words which have been a lesson to busy1 bustling people all these hundreds of years3 ,martha1 ,martha1 you are too much troubled over these many things2 only one thing is needful1 and ,mary has chosen the good part which shall never be taken away from her4 ,illustration3 ,,she ,,was ,,near ,,jesus1 ,,eagerly ,,listening4 ,do you ask1 children1 what that one thing is8 ,it is learning of ,jesus1 and hearing ,his voice4 ,even if everything else is lost to us1 if we have ,jesus we can be happy4 ,even the poorest and most wretched person in the world1 who has heard the voice of ,jesus1 has the one thing which will make him happy here1 and will give him endless joy by and by4 ,,ix4 ,the ,temptation ,directly after the ,lord ,jesus had been baptized1 and ,god had spoken out of heaven saying ,he was ,his beloved ,son1 the ,holy ,spirit led ,jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by ,satan4 ,perhaps you ask1 dear children1 ,why must ,jesus1 the ,holy ,one1 be tempted by ,satan8 ,i think it was for two reasons3 that ,he might be our perfect example in everything2 and that ,he might show us the way to conquer ,satan4 ,it says in the ,bible ,jesus was tempted in all points like we are6 ,one of ,satan's temptations to ,jesus in the wilderness was if ,he was the ,son of ,god1 to make the stones into bread4 ,jesus was very hungry1 ,he had not had food for a long time2 but ,jesus would not do what ,satan asked ,him4 ,he said to ,satan1 that it was written in ,god's word that men were not to live by bread alone1 but to please ,god first of all4 ,you will understand ,his wonderful answers to ,satan's temptations as you get older4 ,but you can remember this now--,if ,satan tells you to do wrong1 tell him boldly in return1 that ,jesus is your ,saviour1 and ,he died to save you4 ,it says in the ,bible1 ,his name shall be called ,jesus1 for ,he shall save ,his people from their sins1 and if you say to ,satan the one word ,jesus6 you will find that he runs away4 ,x4 ,the ,deep ,well ,jesus was taking a long journey4 ,he had to walk many1 many miles1 and at last1 when ,he came near a large town called ,samaria1 ,he sent ,his disciples on in front to buy food4 ,he was very tired1 and while ,he waited for them1 ,he sat down to rest by the well which1 hundreds of years before1 ,jacob had dug1 which has been called ever since ,jacob's ,well4 ,presently a woman from the town came with her pitcher to draw some water4 ,as it was twelve o'clock in the day1 the sun ,was very hot1 and the dear ,lord ,jesus was very thirsty4 ,when the woman came close to the well1 ,he asked her to give ,him some water to drink4 ,but she was so busy with her own thoughts1 that she told ,him she was surprised that ,he should ask her for anything1 as the ,jews were not friendly with the people of ,samaria4 ,jesus did not answer that2 for ,his loving heart knew all about her1 and how she needed a ,saviour to save her from her sins4 ,so ,he said to her something like this-- ,if you knew what a wonderful gift ,god has to give you1 and ,who it is that has asked you to give ,him drink1 you would have asked ,him instead1 and ,he would have given you living water4 ,the woman could not understand this at all4 ,she saw that ,jesus had nothing to draw with1 and she knew that ,jacob's ,well was very deep4 ,what could ,he mean by living water8 ,then ,jesus told her that if any one came to ,him for this living water1 he would never be thirsty again1 but would have everlasting life6 ,the woman began to think that it would be very nice not to be thirsty any more1 so she asked ,jesus to give her this water2 but she did not know that she was talking to the ,son of ,god1 ,who gives the ,holy ,spirit2 she only thought of her many hot journeys to and from the well4 ,and now the ,lord has to show her that it is something much better than real water that ,he wants her to have4 ,he explains to her that she is a sinner1 and ,he tells her so much about her past life1 which she thought nobody knew1 that she begins to guess that ,jesus must be the ,christ whom the ,jews were expecting to come into the world4 ,then ,jesus said1 ,i1 that speak unto thee1 am ,he4 ,the woman was so surprised1 and so glad1 that she left her waterpot and ran back to the town to tell her neighbours all about her wonderful ,saviour4 ,so numbers of them came out to find ,jesus1 and many believed on ,him1 not only because the woman had said that ,jesus had told her all that ever she did1 but because they heard from ,his own loving lips the words which brought them everlasting life4 ,,xi4 ,suffer ,little ,children to come unto ,me ,a number of people are pressing round the dear ,lord ,jesus6 ,the mothers have heard how kind ,he is1 and how ,he is doing good to everybody who comes to ,him1 and they are anxious that their little ones shall be blessed too4 ,so they take their babes in their arms1 and their toddling children by the hand1 and lead them to where they know the ,lord ,jesus is4 ,when the little ones see ,his loving face1 they are not a bit afraid4 ,they run to ,him1 sure that ,he will not refuse them1 and when they come to ,him1 ,jesus takes them up in ,his arms1 puts ,his hands upon them1 and blesses them4 ,the men who are following the dear ,lord ,jesus1 think that the little children will be a trouble to ,him1 so they tell the mothers to take the little ones away2 but we read that ,jesus was much displeased1 and said1 ,suffer little children to come unto ,me1 and forbid them not2 for of such is the kingdom of heaven4 ,yes1 ,jesus said1 when ,he was here walking about in our world1 ,let the children come unto ,me1 and do not forbid them2 and now ,he is gone to be with ,his ,father in heaven1 ,he says just the same to all of you little ones4 ,come to ,me6 ,he says every day4 ,he is here in spirit1 just as much as ,he was then1 and ,he wants you to love ,him with all your loving little hearts4 ,he loves you so much that ,he cares about everything that happens to you4 ,he cares whether you are happy1 ,he is sorry if you are naughty1 and ,he is glad when you are good4 ,he loves to have you do anything to please ,him1 and ,his dear eyes see you all day long1 and ,he will help you to please ,him if you ask ,him4 ,besides all this1 the ,lord ,jesus has died on the cross1 to bear the punishment of your sins1 instead of you4 ,should you not think it very kind if a little brother were to offer to be punished instead of the one who had done wrong8 ,that is what ,jesus did4 ,he took upon ,himself the sin of the whole world1 that whoever trusts ,him and comes to ,him1 may be forgiven1 and may go at last to live with ,him1 and with ,god our ,heavenly ,father1 in that bright and beautiful home which ,he is getting ready for all who love ,him4 ,perhaps you ask1 ,why does ,jesus want you to come to ,him8 ,when you have been naughty and are sorry1 why does mother hold out her loving arms to you8 ,is it not that you may run into there and be forgiven and comforted8 ,is it not because she loves you8 ,does she not wipe away your tears1 and tell you that she will not think of your fault any more8 ,does she not take you with her about the house1 or in the garden1 and show you by her manner how glad she is that you have come to her for forgiveness1 and that you are going to try to do better8 ,well1 that is just a little bit like the love of ,jesus4 ,he wishes you to come to ,him1 that you may have happiness and joy4 ,he wants you to live with ,him all day long1 and walk about by ,his side2 to go to ,him in every trouble2 to ask ,his help in anything difficult4 ,you cannot see ,him yet1 but ,he is close to you all the time1 and ,he can see you and hear you in an instant when you speak to ,him4 ,by and by ,he will give you endless pleasures at ,his right hand for evermore4 ,gentle ,jesus1 meek and mild1 ,look upon a little child2 ,pity my simplicity1 ,suffer me to come to ,thee4 ,fain ,i would to ,thee be brought1 ,blessed ,lord1 forbid it not3 ,in the kingdom of ,thy grace ,give a little child a place4 ,,xii4 ,follow ,me ,soon after ,jesus had chosen ,peter and ,james and ,john as ,his disciples1 ,he was walking near the lake of ,gennesaret when ,he saw ,matthew sitting at the place where the people had to pay taxes4 ,for ,matthew was not a fisherman1 like the others1 but was a taxgatherer employed by the ,romans to collect money from the ,jews4 ,these taxgatherers were very much disliked1 as they often took more money than they ought1 and kept it for themselves1 so that the ,jews hated them and dreaded to see them coming4 ,but the ,lord ,jesus chooses disciples from all sorts of people4 ,he does not wait till we are good1 to call us to follow ,him2 but ,he says to us1 just where we are1 at school1 at work1 at play1 in the street1 in the home1 in the shop1 ,follow ,me4 ,and these words mean1 ,keep close to ,me1 where you can see ,me and speak to ,me4 ,and if you keep close to ,me1 by and by when ,i lead the way into ,my glory in ,heaven1 you1 if you are following ,me1 shall come with ,me and share all ,i have4 ,so ,jesus called ,matthew the publican2 and ,matthew heard ,his call1 and rose up1 and left all and came after ,jesus4 ,dear children1 if we hear ,jesus calling us1 let us leave behind anything that would displease ,him1 and tell ,him we are ready to follow ,him wherever ,he may lead4 ,,xiii4 ,lazarus ,not so very long after the supper where ,martha had served1 her brother ,lazarus fell sick and died4 ,we are told that ,jesus loved ,martha and her sister and ,lazarus1 and yet ,he let him die6 ,ah1 how often have those whom ,jesus loves1 to trust ,him through the very hardest thing that could happen to them6 ,jesus was not there when ,lazarus fell ill1 and though they sent to ,him to tell ,him1 ,he did not go to them at once1 but stayed where ,he was for two more days4 ,in the meantime ,lazarus died1 and was buried4 ,at length ,jesus told ,his disciples that ,he would go to ,bethany4 ,when they got near to where ,lazarus lived1 ,martha heard that ,jesus was coming1 and hurried out to meet ,him with the words1 ,lord1 if you had been here1 my brother would not have died4 ,but ,i know that whatever you ask of ,god1 ,god will give it to you4 ,then ,jesus told her that ,lazarus would rise again2 and ,martha showed her faith in answering that she knew he would rise at the last day4 ,and again ,jesus questioned her with these wonderful resurrection words1 ,whosoever liveth and believeth in ,me shall never die4 ,believest thou this8 ,and ,martha gave one of the most wonderful answers that we read in the ,bible3 ,yea1 ,lord3 ,i believe that ,thou art the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 which should come into the world4 ,blessed ,martha6 ,she had found the one thing needful6 ,so by and by they come to ,bethany1 and ,jesus sent for ,mary to come from the house of mourning to ,him4 ,and ,mary's first words were the same as ,martha's1 ,lord1 if you had been here1 my brother had not died4 ,oh1 the compassion of ,jesus6 ,he knew that soon their sorrow would be turned into joy1 but when ,he saw them all weeping4 ,he was very troubled1 and wept too4 ,and so they come to the grave2 and ,jesus told them to take away the stone4 ,the ,martha reminded ,him that ,lazarus had been dead four days4 ,but ,jesus answered her1 ,did ,i not say to you1 that1 if you would believe1 you should see the glory of ,god8 ,and ,jesus lifted up ,his eyes1 and said1 ,father1 ,i thank ,thee that ,thou hast heard ,me 4 4 4 that they may believe that ,thou hast sent ,me4 ,and then ,he called with a loud voice1 ,lazarus1 come forth6 ,and the dead man came forth1 bound with graveclothes and ,jesus said to them1 ,loose him1 and let him go4 ,oh1 how happy those sisters were6 ,did not ,martha1 indeed1 see the glory of ,god1 as ,jesus had said8 ,,xiv4 ,the ,widow's ,mite ,one day1 very shortly before our dear ,lord was crucified1 ,he was teaching in ,god's ,temple at ,jerusalem and preaching the gospel4 ,he had been warning the people against the scribes1 who loved to seem very good and to be thought well of1 who chose the highest seats in the synagogues and the chief rooms at feasts1 who made long prayers for a show1 and who oppressed poor widows and took away their houses4 ,the ,lord looked straight into people's hearts1 and ,he could not bear for the scribes to seem very good outside and to be very wicked inside6 ,jesus was sitting near the treasury1 which was the chest or receptacle in which the people put their offerings of money for ,god's service4 ,after ,he had been speaking about those scribes that oppressed the widows1 ,he raised ,his eyes and saw the people casting their gifts into the treasury2 and many that were rich cast in much4 ,illustration3 ,,just ,,then ,a ,,poor ,,widow ,,drew ,,near4 ,and just then a poor widow drew near1 and she put in two mites1 which make a farthing4 ,jesus saw it all6 ,he could see into her empty pocket2 ,he knew all about it6 ,then ,he called ,his disciples to ,him and said to them1 ,this poor widow has cast more in than all the others who have cast into the treasury3 for they did cast in of their abundance2 but she of her want did cast in all that she had1 even all her living6 ,there is another widow we read of1 who gave all her living to ,god6 ,the account is in #a ,kings xvii4 ,god sent the prophet ,elijah to her in a time of famine4 ,when he got to where the widow lived1 he found her gathering a few sticks to make a fire to bake the last bit of bread that she had6 ,so ,elijah called to her to fetch him a little water4 ,he was nearly dying of thirst1 and as she ran to fetch it1 he begged her also to bring him a morsel of bread too4 ,but she told him that she only had a tiny bit of meal left in the barrel1 and a little oil in a cruse1 and this she was going to make into a little cake for her and her son1 and when they had eaten that1 she said1 they must die6 ,but ,elijah said some words like these to her3 ,fear not 4 4 4 make me a little cake first1 and bring it to me 4 4 4 for thus saith the ,lord ,god of ,israel1 ,you shall always find a little meal in the barrel1 and a little oil in the cruse as long as the famine lasts6 ,and she believed ,god's promise1 and went and did as ,elijah had said2 and she and ,elijah and her son had enough to eat for many days4 ,,xv4 ,do this in ,remembrance of ,me ,very soon after this1 just before the ,feast of the ,passover1 when ,jesus knew that the hour had come that ,he was to die1 and to go back to ,his ,father1 ,he wished to do one last act of love to ,his disciples1 because ,he loved them to the uttermost4 ,and supper being ended1 ,jesus rose up and taking a towel ,he poured water into a basin1 and began to wash the feet of ,his disciples4 ,this astonished them very much1 and when it came to ,peter's turn1 he said1 ,lord1 dost ,thou wash my feet8 ,then ,jesus said to him something like this1 ,you cannot understand what ,i am doing now1 ,peter1 but you shall understand by and by4 ,but ,peter said to ,jesus1 ,thou shalt never wash my feet6 ,and ,jesus answered him1 ,if ,i do not wash you1 ,peter1 you have no part with ,me4 ,so ,peter at last let ,jesus wash his feet2 but he asked ,him to wash his hands too1 and his head4 ,i think he meant that he wanted to be made wholly clean6 ,jesus is our perfect example1 and though ,he was their ,lord and ,master1 ,he did for them what was the office of the servants in the ,east1 that they might hereafter remember that there is no act1 however lowly1 that they should be unwilling to perform for one of ,his disciples4 ,this loving example has helped thousands of the followers of ,jesus to go into prisons and hospitals2 or to minister to the sick in crowded1 wretched rooms1 where dirt and misery abound2 that they may brighten and cleanse them1 and bring a little1 to the poor suffering inmates1 of that love of ,jesus which loves to the uttermost1 and is able to save to the uttermost1 those that come unto ,god by ,him4 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,and now the hour for the ,passover ,feast had come1 and ,jesus sat down1 the twelve apostles with ,him1 and ,he told them that with a great desire ,he had longed to eat that ,passover with them before ,he suffered4 ,dear children1 you have often heard of the ,communion of the ,lord's ,supper1 and some of you may have been with your parents1 and may have seen it4 ,but now ,i am going to tell you about the first time the ,lord's ,supper was held4 ,ever since that time for nearly nineteen hundred years1 the people who love the ,lord ,jesus have met together to remember ,him as ,he told them2 and those who love ,him are told to do this1 till ,he comes back again to take us to ,his heavenly home4 ,so that night in which ,he was betrayed this was how our dear ,lord gave us this last command4 ,and ,he took bread1 and gave thanks1 and brake it1 and gave unto them1 saying1 ',this is ,my body which is given for you3 this do in remembrance of ,me4' ,likewise also the cup after supper1 saying1 ',this cup is the ,new ,testament in ,my blood which is shed for you4' ,and when they had sung a hymn1 they went out into the ,mount of ,olives4 ,and ,jesus said to them1 ,all ye shall be offended because of ,me this night3 for it is written1 ',i will smite the ,shepherd1 and the sheep shall be scattered6' ,but in ,his great forgiving love1 though ,jesus knew they would all forsake ,him1 ,he gave them the promise1 that when ,he was risen from the dead ,he would go before them to ,galilee1 and there they should see ,him again4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,city ,,on ,a ,,hill4 ,,xvi4 ,the ,lame ,man ,leaping ,acts iii4 #h ,one day1 very soon after the ,holy ,spirit had been sent down to give power to the disciples1 ,peter and ,john1 as their custom was1 went up into the ,temple to pray4 ,it was what was called the ninth hour1 our three o'clock in the afternoon1 and was the hour of prayer in ,jerusalem4 ,peter and ,john climbed up the many steps that led to the ,temple1 and reached the gate called the ,beautiful ,gate4 ,some one else had come up those many steps1 too2 but he had not walked4 ,he had been lame all his life1 and daily his friends carried him up that long way1 to lay him in the ,beautiful ,gate4 ,what do you think they took all that trouble for8 ,it was that the poor lame man might ask for money of the passersby who went up to pray4 ,he had no means of providing for himself1 and1 like many other sick and helpless people1 he lay there hour after hour1 holding out his hand to receive the coins which the pity of the passersby made them give him4 ,as he saw ,peter and ,john about to go into the ,temple1 he begged them to have pity on him in his poverty4 ,then ,peter1 knowing that within him rested the great power of ,god1 said to the lame man1 ,look on us6 ,the poor man eagerly obeyed1 thinking they were not going to pass on without showing him some kindness4 ,he was quite right4 ,peter at once said3 ,i have not any silver or gold6 ,but what ,i have1 ,i will give you6 ,in the ,name of ,jesus ,christ of ,nazareth1 rise up and walk6 ,and he took him by the right hand1 and lifted him up1 and immediately his feet and ankle bones were given strength1 and the man1 who had been a cripple for more than forty years1 walked and leapt1 and went with ,peter and ,john into the ,temple1 walking and leaping and praising ,god6 ,then all the people1 who knew all about this lame man for so many years1 were filled with amazement at what had happened to him4 ,for the lame man held ,peter and ,john1 and all the people ran together into ,solomon's ,porch to see the wonderful sight4 ,but ,peter told them1 at once1 that it was not by their own power that they had made this man well1 but because ,god had glorified ,his ,son ,jesus1 and that it was through faith in ,his ,name that he had been given this perfect soundness4 ,and then he told these wondering1 amazed ,jews1 that it was their ,god1 the ,god of ,abraham and ,isaac and ,jacob1 who had sent ,jesus to earth to bless them1 and to turn away every one of them from their sins4 ,and that blessed ,name of ,jesus has the same power now to help and save all who look to ,him4 ,forgiveness1 strength1 comfort1 and help can belong to those who will trust ,him6 ,,xvii4 ,gethsemane ,many1 many hundreds of years ago1 the ,easter full moon was shining down in all its beauty on a garden near ,jerusalem4 ,this garden was called ,gethsemane and ,i should think that every one who loves the ,lord ,jesus1 and who knows about ,his great agony in that garden1 must love the very name of the place1 and remember with very tender feelings all ,he bore for our sakes4 ,every ,easter now1 when the moon shines so sweetly1 we can recall that night on which our dear ,lord was betrayed1 and we can ask ,him to help us to watch and pray that we may not enter into temptation4 ,he had just eaten the ,passover ,supper with ,his disciples2 ,he had told them and us1 to do this1 as oft as ye take it1 in remembrance of ,,me1 and then1 after they had sung a hymn1 or psalm1 they went down the steep path from one of the gates leading out of ,jerusalem1 to go to the ,mount of ,olives4 ,just at the bottom of the valley there lay the ,garden of ,gethsemane2 and the ,lord ,jesus1 who knew all that was going to happen to ,him the next day1--how ,he would be mocked and beaten and crucified--wanted to pray to ,his ,heavenly ,father before ,he was betrayed into the hands of the ,jews4 ,so ,he turned into the garden beneath the olive trees1 telling some of ,his disciples to wait outside1 but taking ,peter and ,james and ,john into the garden with ,him4 ,he was very1 very sorrowful1 so ,he bade them wait near ,him and watch4 ,then ,he went a little further on1 and fell on the ground and prayed to ,his ,father that1 if it were possible1 the hour might pass away from ,him4 ,he knew that all things were possible with ,god1 but ,he did not want to have ,his own will1 if ,his dear ,father in ,heaven wished anything different4 ,he had come to earth to do ,his will perfectly4 ,then after ,his prayer1 ,he rose and went to ,his disciples4 ,but he found them asleep6 ,they had not watched as ,he bade them4 ,so ,he said to ,peter1 ,simon1 sleepest thou8 couldest thou not watch one hour8 ,and then ,he told them to watch and pray lest they should enter into temptation4 ,he said ,he knew they were willing to do it1 but they had tired bodies1 and this made it the more necessary to be watchful4 ,so ,he went away again and prayed to ,his ,father in an agony that the bitter cup might pass from ,him4 ,we cannot fully understand all that is meant by that bitter cup4 ,it is enough for us to know that our blessed ,lord dreaded it above everything4 ,but even in the midst of that misery1 ,he could say1 ,oh1 ,my ,father1 if this cup may not pass away from ,me except ,i drink it1 ,thy will be done6 ,and there appeared an angel from heaven1 strengthening ,him4 ,still again a third time ,he went away and prayed the same prayer1 but all the while ,his disciples were fast asleep6 ,at last ,jesus rose up from prayer1 and when ,he came to ,his disciples ,he told them that now ,he was going to be betrayed into the hands of sinners4 ,as ,he was speaking1 a great band of men1 led by wicked ,judas1 came hurrying into the garden4 ,now ,judas had said to the chief priests 7when he sold ,jesus to them for thirty pieces of silver71 ,whomsoever ,i shall kiss1 that same is ,he2 hold ,him fast4 ,the ,lord ,jesus1 who is ,god as well as man1 could easily have escaped from their cruel hands4 ,he told them ,he could have prayed to ,his ,father1 and ,he would have sent ,him thousands and thousands of angels4 ,the band of men and officers from the chief priests were so amazed at the majesty of ,jesus1 that they went backward and fell to the ground4 ,but ,jesus was ready to die for us2 for how else could we be saved8 ,then they took ,jesus prisoner1 and bound ,him and led ,him away to the palace of the ,high ,priest4 ,and as ,he was led away from ,gethsemane1 ,he said to ,peter those memorable words of love and submission--,the cup which ,my ,father hath given ,me1 shall ,i not drink it8 ,he knew that the ,cross to which ,he was going was ,his ,father's ,will6 ,for had ,he not said ,himself1 to the people8-- ,for ,god so loved the world1 that ,he gave ,his only begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth in ,him should not perish1 but have everlasting life4 ,,xviii4 ,the ,trial ,when ,judas had betrayed the ,lord ,jesus with a kiss1 and the band of soldiers and officers were going to take ,him away1 ,peter tried to defend ,jesus by drawing his sword1 and he smote one of the servants of the ,high ,priest and cut off his ear4 ,but ,jesus did not wish ,his disciples to fight for ,him with swords1 and ,he told ,peter to put it up in the sheath again2 and then1 in ,his love and compassion1 ,he healed the man's ear4 ,and ,jesus said to the soldiers1 ,are you come out as if ,i were a thief1 with swords and staves to take me8 ,i was with you every day in the ,temple1 teaching you1 and you did not take ,me2 but the ,scriptures must be fulfilled4 ,then all ,his disciples forsook ,him and fled4 ,jesus is the ,good ,shepherd2 and now it had come to the time when ,he was going to lay down ,his life for the sheep4 ,but oh6 ,how sad it must have made ,him1 to have all ,his disciples run away from ,him6 ,then the soldiers bound ,him and led ,him away4 ,but after the first moment of fear and dismay1 ,john1 the beloved disciple1 ran to follow his ,master1 and the crowd tried to prevent his going after ,jesus4 ,but he managed to escape from them1 and presently he reached the ,high ,priest's house1 and1 as he was known to the ,high ,priest1 he went in with ,jesus into the palace4 ,but ,peter was left in the garden1 and he followed afar off1 even into the palace of the ,high ,priest1 and sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire4 ,when the whole band had brought ,jesus into the palace1 they found there all the chief priests1 and the elders1 and the scribes4 ,then the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against ,jesus to put ,him to death2 but found none4 ,there were many false witnesses who gave evidence against ,him1 but they all contradicted each other4 ,all this time ,jesus stood silent1 listening to their false charges1 but not answering a word4 ,at last the ,high ,priest exclaimed1 ,answerest thou nothing8 ,what is it that these witness against thee8 ,but ,jesus held ,his peace1 and answered nothing4 ,then the ,high ,priest asked ,him a question which ,jesus answered4 ,he said1 ,art ,thou the ,christ1 the ,son of the ,blessed8 ,and ,jesus said1 ,i am2 and ye shall see the ,son of ,man sitting on the right hand of power1 and coming in the clouds of heaven4 ,then the ,high ,priest tore his clothes1 and said there was no need to examine any more witnesses1 for they had heard ,him say ,himself that ,he was the ,son of ,god4 ,illustration3 ,,then ,,the ,,high ,,priest ,,tore ,,his ,,clothes4 ,and for this they all condemned ,him to be guilty of death4 ,,xix4 ,the ,king of the ,jews ,when the chief priests of the ,jews had determined to kill the ,lord ,jesus1 after examining ,him for many hours on the dreadful night when all ,his disciples had forsaken ,him and ,peter had denied ,him1 they consulted together as to how they could carry out their wicked plan4 ,the morning dawned before they had decided what to do2 and at length1 as they did not like to put ,him to death themselves1 they thought the best way would be to take ,him to ,pilate the ,roman governor1 for they thought that he would do what they wished4 ,the ,jews and the ,high ,priest had asked ,jesus whether ,he was really the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god2 and the ,lord ,jesus1 to leave them without excuse1 told them plainly that ,he was1 and that hereafter they would see ,him sitting in heaven1 and coming back to earth in the clouds4 ,at this they had been fearfully angry1 and had torn their clothes1 and had bound ,him and led ,him away to ,pilate1 in the hopes that ,pilate would at once order ,him to be put to death4 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,now we are told in ,matthew's ,gospel that ,judas1 who had betrayed his ,master with a kiss1 saw ,jesus led away to ,pilate4 ,he knew by this that the chief priests had condemned ,him to death1 and1 too late1 ,judas repented of the wicked thing he had done4 ,jesus had told the disciples when they sat down to the ,passover supper1 that one of them should betray ,him1 and ,judas had asked1 among the rest1 ,lord1 is it ,i8 ,and ,jesus had told him1 that though ,he must die to save the world1 yet it was woe to the man who should betray ,him4 ,but ,judas thought of the thirty pieces of silver which he was going to earn for doing this sad deed1 and he left the supper table and went out into the dark night4 ,judas had made his decision against ,jesus6 ,oh1 children6 ,let our decision be for ,jesus6 ,all through our lives1 let our one purpose be that ,he shall be our ,lord and our ,king4 ,we shall not be sorry by and by that we have decided so4 ,but ,judas had made his evil choice2 he had set going a thing which he could not now stop4 ,and when he realized that the chief priests had really condemned ,jesus1 ,judas would have given everything he possessed to undo what he had done4 ,but it was too late4 ,he hurried back to the chief priests with the money in his hand1 and he exclaimed1 ,i have sinned2 ,i have betrayed the innocent ,one6 ,but they said1 ,what is that to us8 ,you must see to that6 ,so he threw down the thirty pieces of silver in the ,temple1 and went and hanged himself4 ,oh1 poor ,judas6 ,what good was his money to him then8 ,what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world1 and lose his own soul8 ,then the chief priests took up the silver and consulted as to what they should do with it1 because it was the price of blood1 and they might not put it into ,god's ,treasury2 and they decided to buy a field1 called the ,potter's field1 to bury strangers in4 ,and that field was called the ,field of ,blood ever afterwards4 ,we read in the ,bible that1 five hundred years before that1 it was foretold by the prophet ,zechariah that all these things should be done1 when ,jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver4 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,so ,jesus was brought before ,pilate1 and stood there in all ,his majesty and humility1 and ,pilate asked ,him1 ,art ,thou the ,king of the ,jews8 ,and ,jesus again left no excuse to those who condemned ,him4 ,though ,he had answered nothing when the false witnesses spoke against ,him1 though ,he answered nothing now when the chief priests and elders accused ,him1 yet1 to give ,pilate an opportunity of believing and accepting ,him1 ,he answered him at once-- ,you have said what ,i am--a ,king4 ,to this end was ,i born1 and for this cause came ,i into the world1 that ,i should bear witness of the truth4 ,then ,pilate told the chief priests that he found no fault in ,him4 ,when ,pilate found it impossible to quiet the chief priests1 though he told them he could find no fault in ,jesus1 he decided to send ,him to ,herod1 who was at ,jerusalem at that time4 ,and when ,herod saw ,jesus1 he was very glad1 because he had heard of ,him1 and hoped to have seen a miracle done by ,him4 ,so he asked ,jesus a great many questions1 but ,he answered him nothing4 ,and the chief priests stood and vehemently accused ,him4 ,and ,herod and his soldiers mocked ,him and arrayed ,him in a gorgeous robe1 and sent ,him again to ,pilate4 ,now at the feast of the ,passover1 the ,roman governor pleased the ,jews by setting free a prisoner whomsoever they asked for4 ,so1 because ,pilate did not like the ,jews1 and knew that they had delivered ,jesus up for envy1 he offered to release to them ,barabbas1 who was a great robber1 or ,jesus who was called ,christ8 ,so ,pilate went back to the judgment-seat and sat down4 ,and it was quite early morning yet4 ,then his wife sent down in haste to him to have nothing to do with condemning ,jesus1 because she had had a dreadful dream1 and she knew that ,jesus was a just man4 ,but the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask for ,barabbas4 ,pilate was sure that ,jesus was not worthy of any punishment2 but when he found that the ,jews were raising a great tumult1 and that they charged ,pilate with not being ,csar's friend1 if he allowed ,jesus to be the ,king of the ,jews1 ,pilate was afraid4 ,he was more afraid of the ,jews than of ,god6 ,and so poor ,pilate made his great decision4 ,and he1 like ,judas1 made it on the wrong side6 ,so he called for water1 and when it was brought to him1 he washed his hands before all the people1 saying1 ,i am innocent of the blood of this just person3 see ye to it4 ,then ,pilate said to them1 mockingly1 ,shall ,i crucify your ,king8 ,but they cried the more exceedingly1 ,crucify ,him1 crucify ,him6 ,and the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed4 ,then ,pilate released ,barabbas to them1 and when he had scourged ,jesus1 he delivered ,him to be crucified4 ,,xx4 ,the ,soldiers ,mocked ,him ,so when ,pilate had sentenced ,him to be crucified the governor's soldiers took ,jesus into the common hall1 and gathered together the rest of the soldiers1 and began to mock at the dear ,lord whom we love so much4 ,they clothed ,him with a purple robe1 and they plaited a crown of long sharp thorns and put it on ,his loving head1 and then they put a reed in ,his hand and bowed down to ,him1 and mocked ,him saying1 ,hail1 ,king of the ,jews6 ,jesus did not mind being called the ,king of the ,jews1 because ,he came on earth to be their ,king2 ,he was only sorry that they would not love ,him1 or have ,him for their ,king and ,saviour4 ,ah1 how it must have cut ,him to the heart in all ,his pain1 to have them mock ,him1 and beat ,him on the head1 and spit upon ,him1 and pretend to worship ,him4 ,if our hearts are filled with grief that ,he could have suffered so much1 should we not love ,him more than ever2 and turn away from the sins which ,he died on purpose to save us from8 ,so ,pilate went outside again1 and said to the ,jews1 ,behold1 ,i bring ,him forth to you1 that you may know that ,i find no fault in ,him4 ,then ,jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns1 and ,pilate said1 ,behold the man6 ,but the ,jews burst out again with the cry1 ,crucify ,him6 ,and ,pilate said1 ,why1 what evil hath ,he done8 ,but the ,jews told ,pilate that ,jesus had made ,himself equal with ,god1 and so ,he must die4 ,then ,pilate was more afraid than ever1 and went again into the hall1 and asked ,jesus where ,he had come from8 ,but ,jesus gave him no answer4 ,at length the ,jews clamoured so loudly1 and told ,pilate that he was not ,csar's friend1 that though ,pilate longed to release ,jesus1 when he heard them say that1 he gave in to them1 and brought ,jesus forth for the last time1 saying to them1 ,behold your ,king6 ,and they all cried out1 ,away with ,him1 crucify ,him6 ,the head that once was crowned with thorns ,is crowned with glory now3 ,a royal diadem adorns ,the mighty ,victor's brow4 ,the highest place that heaven affords ,is ,his1 is ,his by right3 ,the ,king of kings1 and ,lord of lords1 ,and heaven's eternal light4 ,,xxi4 ,jesus ,carrying ,his ,cross ,and after they had mocked ,jesus1 they took off the gorgeous robe in which ,herod and his soldiers had dressed ,him1 and they put ,his own clothes on ,him again1 and led ,him away to crucify ,him4 ,and ,jesus--the ,king of glory--went forth1 carrying the cross on which ,he was to be crucified for us6 ,thus our dear ,lord left the city where ,he had been rejected and condemned1 bearing ,his heavy1 cruel cross4 ,i think ,he must have fainted beneath its weight1 for we are told that when they came to the gate of the city1 they met a man1 ,simon the ,cyrenian1 coming in from the country1 and the soldiers forced him to carry the cross after ,jesus4 ,a great multitude came out after them1 and the women who had followed and loved ,jesus were mourning and grieving at their dear ,lord's sorrowful fate4 ,but ,jesus turned to them and told them not to cry for ,him1 but for all the sorrow which was coming upon ,jerusalem because the ,jews would not have ,him for their ,saviour4 ,illustration3 ,,he ,,must ,,have ,,fainted ,,beneath ,,its ,,weight4 ,and there were two other men led out with ,jesus to be crucified at the same time4 ,they were called malefactors1 because they had been very wicked4 ,so the whole great company went outside the city walls1 and they bring ,jesus to a place called ,the ,skull4 ,they offered our dear ,lord some wine and myrrh to drink1 but1 when ,he had tasted it1 ,he would not take it4 ,then they crucified ,jesus1 our ,king1 and the two malefactors1 one on the right hand and the other on the left1 and ,jesus in the midst4 ,children1 in all ,his dreadful sufferings and sorrow1 what is it we hear from those dear lips8 ,then ,jesus said1-- ,father1 forgive them2 for they know not what they do4 ,,xxii4 ,the ,cross of ,jesus ,we pause at this picture1 dear children1 with awe and reverence1 and as we gaze upon it our hearts are filled with love and grief4 ,did ,jesus bear that cruel death for me8 we whisper to ourselves4 ,was my name on ,his heart when ,he hung all those hours on the cross8 ,were my sins pardoned by ,his most precious blood1 which flowed from ,his bleeding side8 ,if we can answer a solemn yes to these questions1 then the cross of ,jesus our ,saviour is the place where henceforth we can find joy1 and thankfulness1 and strength4 ,on the cross where ,jesus was crucified1 a piece of parchment was nailed4 ,this was generally done1 so that people should know what the crime was for which any one was to suffer this cruel death4 ,but ,pilate had nothing to charge ,jesus with4 ,he had said over and over again1 ,i find no fault in ,him4 ,and when he sat down to write ,his accusation on the parchment1 he wrote-- ,jesus of ,nazareth--the ,king of the ,jews4 ,this writing was read by many of the ,jews1 because the place where ,jesus was crucified was near to the city1 and many were passing backwards and forwards at this ,passover feast time4 ,and ,pilate wrote it in ,hebrew and ,greek and ,latin4 ,the ,jews did not at all like what ,pilate had written1 and wanted him to take the writing down4 ,they said1 ,do not say that ,he is the ,king of the ,jews6 ,but say1 ,he said ,he was4 ,but ,pilate would not alter it4 ,what ,i have written1 ,i have written1 he said4 ,illustration3 ,,calvary4 ,so when ,jesus died1 ,he had only this accusation--that ,he is ,king6 ,and the people stood beholding4 ,they saw the four soldiers carry away ,his raiment1 to divide it between them4 ,but when the soldiers found that ,his coat1 or under-robe1 was seamless and woven in one piece1 they cast lots for that2 so that the ,scripture1 written hundreds of years before1 might be fulfilled1 ,they parted ,my raiment among them1 and for my vesture they did cast lots4 ,these things1 therefore1 the soldiers did4 ,then the rulers who were standing by mocked ,him1 saying1 ,he saved others1 why did ,he not save ,himself and come down from the cross8 ,dear children1 do you know why ,jesus did not come down from the cross8 ,he knew how wicked man had been1 ,he knew that ,god must punish sin2 ,so1 out of pity1 ,jesus said ,he'd bear the punishment instead4 ,and so ,he died6 ,and this is why ,he came to earth to bleed and die3 ,the ,bible says ,he came from heaven1 ,that we might have our sins forgiven4 ,perhaps some of you may think that the cruel nails held ,his dear hands and feet so fast that ,he could not come down8 ,but that was not the reason--oh no6 ,it was love that made ,him stay there--love to you and to me4 ,he stayed there that ,he might die for us1 that ,his precious blood should be shed to pay the price for our sins4 ,the two thieves who were crucified on either side of ,jesus1 joined with the ,jews in reproaching ,him2 but after a while one of them began to think of ,him as ,he hung there in all ,his patience and love1 and he was sorry that he had spoken against ,him4 ,he rebuked the other thief1 and told him that they both were condemned justly1 but this ,man hath done nothing amiss1 he said4 ,and then we can picture him1 turning his poor suffering face towards the loving ,saviour who hung beside him1 and we can almost hear him saying1 ,lord1 remember me when ,thou comest into ,thy ,kingdom6 ,and ,jesus answered and said1 ,to-day shalt thou be with ,me in ,paradise6 ,ah6 ,he was the ,king of ,love6 ,not a reproach to that sinful man2 not a word that now it was too late2 nothing but love and cheer and tenderness4 ,verily ,i say unto thee1 ,to-day1 thou shalt be with ,me in ,paradise6 ,oh1 does not this tender ,jesus make your heart grow warm with love8 ,though ,he was racked with pain1 ,he could cheer one who was suffering by ,him2 though ,he was dying for the sins of the whole world1 ,he could save one single soul who turned to ,him in faith4 ,god sent a great darkness over all the land from twelve o'clock till three o'clock1 while ,his holy ,son was dying on the cross4 ,no one can tell all the depth of woe and loneliness which ,jesus suffered while the load of our sins rested upon ,him2 but the more we understand it1 the more we shall love ,him for ,his great love4 ,when ,i survey the wondrous cross ,on which the ,prince of ,glory died1 ,my richest gain ,i count but loss1 ,and pour contempt on all my pride4 ,forbid it1 ,lord1 that ,i should boast ,save in the death of ,christ my ,god3 ,all the vain things that charm me most1 ,i sacrifice them to ,his blood4 ,see from ,his head1 ,his hands1 ,his feet1 ,sorrow and love flow mingled down3 ,did e'er such love and sorrow meet8 ,or thorns compose so rich a crown8 ,were the whole realm of nature mine1 ,that were an offering far too small3 ,love so amazing1 so divine1 ,demands my soul1 my life1 my all4 ,to ,christ1 who won for sinners grace ,by bitter grief and anguish sore1 ,be praise from all the ransomed race ,for ever and for evermore4 ,now there were standing by the cross of ,jesus1 ,his mother1 and ,his mother's sister ,mary1 the wife of ,cleophas1 and ,mary ,magdalene4 ,when ,jesus saw ,his mother1 and ,john1 the disciples whom ,he loved1 standing there1 ,he charged him to take care of ,his dear mother2 and ,john took her to his own home from that hour4 ,and now everything was done which the ,scriptures had said should happen2 and ,jesus1 knowing this1 said1 ,i thirst6 ,and one ran and filled a sponge with vinegar and put it on hyssop1 and put it to ,his mouth4 ,and when ,jesus had received the vinegar1 ,he said1 ,it is finished6 ,and ,he gave up ,his spirit into ,his ,father's keeping2 and then ,he died4 ,,xxiii4 ,the ,sealed ,tomb ,now when the centurion who was in charge of the soldiers who crucified ,jesus1 saw all the things that had happened--,his wonderful love and patience1 ,his dying words1 the darkness and the great earthquake1--he feared greatly1 and said1 ,truly this was the ,son of ,god6 ,and there were many women there1 standing as near as they dared4 ,among these was ,mary ,magdalene1 out of whom ,jesus had cast seven devils2 and ,mary the mother of ,james and ,joses2 and ,salome the mother of ,zebedee's children1 ,james and ,john1 the disciples who had been with ,jesus in the ,garden of ,gethsemane1 and at other special times during ,his ministry4 ,so these women stood and waited near the cross all those long hours till the evening1 to see what they would do with their ,lord4 ,and when the evening had come1 there came a rich man of ,arimathea1 named ,joseph4 ,he was a counsellor and much respected among the ,jews2 and when the ,lord had been condemned by them1 he had not consented to what they had done4 ,he was looking for the ,kingdom of ,god1 like many other godly ,jews at that time4 ,so he brought fine linen to wrap the precious body of ,jesus in2 and sweet spices for ,his burial4 ,and he went boldly in to ,pilate and begged him to give him the body of ,jesus4 ,so ,pilate gave him leave1 and ,joseph hastened back to take ,jesus down from the cross1 and to wrap ,him in beautiful pure linen1 and to carry ,him away to his own new tomb which was in a garden close to ,calvary4 ,we are told by those who have been there1 that just beneath that hill outside ,jerusalem called ,the ,skull1 there is a garden with a tomb in it1 cut out of the rock4 ,it is thought by some1 that this is the tomb in which ,jesus was laid2 but no one can be quite certain that this is so4 ,at any rate1 we are told in the ,gospel of ,john that the garden was near at hand4 ,and here they buried the body of our dear ,lord1 and rolled a great stone across the door of the sepulchre4 ,and ,mary ,magdalene and the other ,mary saw where ,he was laid1 and sat down over against the sepulchre to watch4 ,but the next day1 the chief priests and ,pharisees came to ,pilate1 to remind him that ,jesus had said while ,he was alive1 that ,he was going to rise again from the dead on the third day4 ,so they begged ,pilate to command that the sepulchre should be made sure till the third day1 lest ,jesus' disciples should come in the night and steal ,his body away1 and pretend that ,he had risen as ,he had said1 which they thought would be a worse mistake than all6 ,and ,pilate answered1 ,you have soldiers who can watch1 go and make it as sure as you can4 ,so they went back1 and made the sepulchre sure1 sealing the stone1 and setting men to keep watch all night4 ,,xxiv4 ,the ,resurrection ,they had sealed the grave to make all sure1 and they had set a watch that no one should come to steal the body of ,jesus2 and the women and those who loved ,him and had followed ,him1 left the tomb at last1 and went to their own homes4 ,illustration3 ,,setting ,,men ,,to ,,watch ,,all ,,night4 ,they had forgotten that the ,lord ,jesus had told them1 over and over again1 that ,he would rise from the dead on the third day4 ,but it was impossible that the grave could hold the ,son of ,god1 when the time came for ,him to rise4 ,he tasted death for all of us2 but ,he also rose from the dead to show that ,god was satisfied that ,he had atoned for our sins4 ,very early on the first day of the week1 which is our ,sunday1 ,mary ,magdalene1 and ,salome1 and the other ,mary1 came to the grave with spices and sweet-smelling ointments to anoint the body of ,jesus4 ,and as they went along1 they said to each other1 ,who shall roll away the stone for us8 ,for they knew that it was very large and heavy6 ,but when they got there1 the stone was already rolled away4 ,so they entered into the tomb1 and they saw a young man sitting there on the right side1 clothed in a long1 white garment1 and they were very frightened4 ,but he said to them1 ,do not be frightened2 you are looking for ,jesus of ,nazareth1 who was crucified3 ,he is risen2 ,he is not here3 look at the place where they laid ,him4 ,and go and tell ,his disciples1 and ,peter1 that if they go into ,galilee they shall see ,him1 as ,he said to them4 ,at first they were so frightened at the shining angel that they ran away1 and did not tell any one4 ,but very soon1 while it was yet very early1 ,jesus met ,mary ,magdalene 7out of whom1 we read in the #hth of ,luke1 ,he had cast seven devils71 and when she had seen ,him and ,he had talked with her1 she knew certainly that ,he was the ,lord2 and she ran and told ,his other disciples who were mourning and crying because they thought ,he was dead1 and that they should never see ,him again4 ,and do you not think1 too1 that ,peter must have been very glad indeed of that special message which the ,lord ,jesus sent to him8 ,we read afterwards that the ,lord also appeared to ,peter2 but we do not know what ,he said to ,his sorrowful disciple4 ,all we do know is that ,jesus forgave him4 ,and this is what ,he will do for us1 children1 if we ask ,him to forgive us4 ,he will comfort us with the assurance of ,his love and pardon1 and ,he will help us to go on again like ,he did ,peter4 ,meanwhile the soldiers who were watching at the tomb were very frightened at all that had happened1 and went and told the chief priests all about it4 ,so when they had consulted together1 they gave the soldiers money1 and told them to say that the disciples of ,jesus had come in the night and had stolen ,his body4 ,so that saying was believed among the ,jews from that time4 ,but ,jesus was alive6 ,he showed ,himself over and over again to ,his own disciples2 and so that there should be no mistake1 ,he came one evening into the midst of the room where the disciples and those who were with them were assembled1 and said1 ,peace be unto you6 ,they were all so frightened1 thinking that they had seen a spirit1 that ,jesus told them to touch ,him and to look at the marks of the nails in ,his hands and feet2 and when they could hardly believe for joy1 ,he asked them to give ,him some food1 and ,he sat down and ate it before them1 explaining to them in loving words that it was necessary for ,him to die1 but also necessary for ,him to rise again1 that ,he might obtain eternal salvation for all who will obey ,him4 ,,xxv4 ,on the ,shore at ,dawn ,on the day of the resurrection1 two of the disciples of the ,lord ,jesus were walking from ,jerusalem to the village of ,emmaus1 and as they went along they spoke of all that had happened1 reasoning together about it4 ,and as they walked1 ,jesus ,himself drew near1 and went with them4 ,but their eyes were holden that they did not know ,him4 ,so ,he asked them what they were talking of1 and why they were sad8 ,and ,cleopas answered1 that ,he must be a stranger in ,jerusalem if ,he did not know what had so lately happened there4 ,and ,jesus asked them1 ,what things8 ,so they told ,him it was about ,jesus of ,nazareth who had been a mighty prophet1 but now had been crucified2 and how they had hoped that ,he was to be their ,saviour4 ,then ,jesus told them that if they had only believed1 they would have understood that the ,scriptures had foretold that ,christ must suffer to atone for sin1 and then to enter into ,his glory4 ,so ,he explained in all the ,scriptures the things about ,himself--but still they did not know ,him4 ,then they came to the village1 and they pressed ,him to abide with them2 and while they sat at supper ,jesus blessed the bread1 and brake it1 and gave to them4 ,then their eyes were opened1 and they knew ,him1 and ,he vanished out of their sight4 ,so they rose up the same hour and hurried back to ,jerusalem1 where they found the eleven disciples together1 who were full of the joyful news that the ,lord had risen indeed1 and that ,he had appeared to ,peter4 ,then ,cleopas and his companion told their great news1 and as they did so1 ,jesus ,himself stood in their midst1 and said to them1 ,peace be unto you6 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,now ,i must tell you how ,jesus showed ,himself to six of ,his disciples and ,nathanael at the sea of ,galilee1 sometimes called ,tiberias4 ,peter had proposed one evening to go to fish on the lake1 and the others had said they would go with him4 ,but all that night they took nothing4 ,when the morning dawned they were cold and hungry1 and as the light came back they saw some one on the shore who seemed to be waiting for them4 ,they did not know that it was ,jesus and even when ,his voice came to them across the water1 asking if they had anything to eat1 they did not recognize it4 ,but when the stranger called to them to cast their nets on the right side of the ship1 and they found a lot of fish1 ,john began to guess ,who it must be1 and he said to ,peter1 ,it is the ,lord6 ,then ,peter threw on his fisher's coat and cast himself into the sea to get quickly to his beloved ,lord1 and the rest hastened to follow in a small boat1 dragging the net full of great fishes4 ,when they landed on the beach1 they found that ,jesus had prepared for them4 ,he knew that they were cold and hungry1 and they saw a fire already lighted1 with some fish being cooked on it1 as well as bread to eat with it4 ,then ,jesus told them to bring some of the fish which they had caught2 and ,he said to them1 ,come and break your fast4 ,but none of the disciples durst ask ,him1 ,who art ,thou8 knowing that it was the ,lord4 ,jesus then came to them1 and gave them fish and bread1 and satisfied their hunger4 ,but oh1 what must it have been to have ,his presence1 and to see ,him once more1 face to face6 ,you can picture them as they sat in that clear morning air with ,jesus close to them and how they must have listened to every word that fell from ,his dear lips4 ,and what do you think was the message that ,he wanted them to remember1 above all1 from that resurrection breakfast table8 ,when they had finished their meal1 ,jesus turned to ,simon ,peter--,peter who loved ,him so truly1 and yet who had denied ,him1--and ,he said tenderly to him three times1 ,simon1 son of ,jonas1 do you love ,me8 ,and ,peter answered each time1 ,yes1 ,lord1 ,thou knowest that ,i love ,thee6 ,and ,jesus said to him words like this3 ,then1 ,peter1 if you love ,me1 feed ,my lambs1 and feed ,my sheep6 ,jesus did not mean1 children1 that ,peter should turn into a shepherd4 ,no2 ,he wanted ,peter to understand that among the people of ,god1 whom ,god often calls ,his flock1 there would be little lambs--children--who would want cherishing1 and sheep who would want feeding1 with the ,bread of ,life4 ,i think this was the message of that resurrection breakfast table3 ,if you love ,me1 tell others of ,my great love6 ,,xxvi4 ,going to the ,father ,at length the time came for the ,lord ,jesus to return to heaven1 to be at ,his ,father's right hand4 ,so one day ,he led ,his disciples out of ,jerusalem to the ,mount of ,olives4 ,he did not tell them to wait for ,him at ,gethsemane that day6 ,all sorrow and suffering were now past for ,him4 ,he had finished the work which ,his ,father had given ,him to do1 and now ,he had only to bless ,his disciples1 and ascend up above the clouds to live with ,his ,father4 ,during the forty days since ,his resurrection1 ,he had appeared to them many times1 and had told them many things about the kingdom of ,god1 and about the ,holy ,spirit who was soon to be sent to them to be their ,comforter4 ,and now having led them out as far as ,bethany1 ,he blessed them1 and while ,he blessed them1 ,he was parted from them1 and carried up into heaven1 and a cloud received ,him out of their sight4 ,while they looked earnestly up to heaven1 two angels stood by them in white clothes1 and said to them1 ,why stand ye gazing up into heaven8 ,this same ,jesus1 which is taken up from you into heaven1 shall so come in like manner1 as ye have seen ,him go into heaven4 ,then they returned back to ,jerusalem with great joy4 ,it was the thought of ,jesus being in glory which gave them great joy2 and ,his promise that ,he would come again some day1 made them happy and hopeful4 ,they had lost ,his dear bodily presence here2 but ,he said that though ,he was in heaven1 ,he would be with them here too1 even to the end of the world4 ,this is what ,he says to us1 dear children1 to-day6 ,he says1 ,i am with you all the days1 and ,i am coming again to receive you to ,myself1 that where ,i am1 there you may be also4 ,jesus wants us all to set to work for ,him4 ,he has left us a charge to tell others about ,his love in dying for us1 that they may come to ,him to be blessed4 ,we may not be able to do very much1 but we can try to please ,him every day by being obedient1 faithful and loving2 and while we listen to ,his voice saying to us from the glory1 ,surely ,i come quickly6 ,we can answer ,him with adoring love1-- ,come1 ,lord ,jesus6 ,,xxvii4 ,when the ,earth was made ,beautiful ,long ago1 before this earth was made ready for us to live on1 if you had been able to look at it1 you would have seen nothing but mist1 and darkness1 and water6 ,and as you think about it1 you wonder very much how it all was4 ,if you were asked1 you would say that the earth is a great round ball1 and that it hangs up in the sky without anybody holding it up6 ,you cannot explain how that is1 and you find it very difficult to understand how it can be4 ,perhaps you wonder who made the earth8 ,and how did it get hung up in the sky1 and who keeps it there8 ,so ,i am going to tell you about it4 ,a very1 very long time ago1 a great deal longer ago than you or ,i can count1 for the ,bible tells us that it was ,in the beginning1 ,god made the heaven and the earth4 ,the earth on which we live now1 where there are trees and beautiful flowers1 and horses and cows1 as well as men and women and children1 was quite empty then4 ,it was always dark there in those days1 and all the ground was covered with water6 ,you can think how desolate it must have been3 nothing to be seen but mist and darkness6 ,but ,god had not forgotten this earth of ours4 ,and we read another thing in the ,bible about ,in the beginning1 and that is1 that ,jesus the ,son of ,god was in the beginning with ,god4 ,that is such a comforting thought6 ,before our world was prepared for us to live on1 ,jesus was with ,god in ,heaven6 ,you children love your fathers and mothers very much2 you like to go on their messages1 and to do what you can to help them1 do you not8 ,the ,lord ,jesus loved to do ,god's will1 and to carry out all ,his ,father gave ,him to do4 ,and what do you think ,god did give ,him to do8 ,perhaps you have begun to guess6 ,god ,his ,father gave ,him the wonderful work of making our earth1 and preparing it all for us to live on6 ,it says in the ,bible ,all things were made by ,him1 and without ,him was not anything made that was made4 ,so the first thing that happened when ,god began to prepare this earth for men to live on1 was that ,god's ,spirit came and brooded over the dark waters that covered the earth4 ,you wonder what that means8 ,perhaps you have seen a hen sitting day after day on the nest of eggs1 and brooding over them till they get warmth and life8 ,well1 that is what the word means6 ,god's ,holy ,spirit came near our earth1 and surrounded it with ,his warmth and love4 ,and then ,god said1 ,let there be light6 or ,let the light come6 ,and lo6 ,instead of the dark waters and deep shadow1 there came a shining over the earth2 and ,god called the light ,day1 and the darkness ,he called ,night4 ,next to the day and night1 ,god made the air and the sky and the clouds4 ,and ,he told the sea to stay where it was1 and the sky to stay above the earth1 and ,he called the sky ,heaven4 ,but still there was no land to be seen2 so in ,his wonderful power1 ,god told the sea to go back to a certain distance1 and then the mountains and the hills and the plains stood out1 and the earth was ready to be furnished for us men1 who were to live on it4 ,so ,god our ,father1 and ,jesus ,christ our ,saviour1 and the ,holy ,spirit our ,comforter1 all prepared this beautiful earth for us4 ,it is ,god's power 7by ,his wonderful laws7 which holds the earth up in the sky1 so that it does not tumble out of its place4 ,and it is ,his power which brought the trees and the grass1 the flowers and the corn1 the fruit and the vegetables to make us happy4 ,and now came something else4 ,god planned for us to have the beautiful sun to cheer us1 and to tell us what time of day it is2 and ,he gave us the moon to shine at night1 and also to remind us what time of the month we have reached4 ,he set them in the sky to make us happy1 and to remind us every day of ,his love and power4 ,then ,god made the fishes and the birds1 the cattle and the sheep1 as well as the lions and tigers1 the horses and the elephants4 ,and not only the large animals1 but the little ants and bees and caterpillars--everything that lives on this earth4 ,but there were no men or women or children there1 yet4 ,then ,god talked to the ,lord ,jesus about it2 for we are told in the first ,chapter of ,genesis that ,he said ,let us make man 4 4 4 after our likeness4 ,so ,god made ,adam and ,eve1 and blessed them1 and promised to give them some little children1 and told them ,he had made everything on the earth to make them happy and to do them good4 ,and then ,god saw that ,his work was very good2 nothing had been left out1 it was perfect6 ,every leaf was perfect1 every flower1 every insect1 every animal1 every star2 all were very good6 ,thus the heavens and the earth were made1 and ,god rested on the seventh day1 and blessed the seventh day1 because in it1 ,he rested from all ,his work which ,he had done4 ,this is why we have ,sunday2 and we shall find that in keeping ,his day of ,holy ,rest1 we too are promised a great blessing for in keeping ,his ,commandments there is great reward4 ,,xxviii4 ,adam and ,eve ,when ,god made the earth ready for men and women and children to live in1 ,he made a beautiful garden called ,eden1 and there ,god put ,adam and ,eve who were the first man and the first woman4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,garden ,,of ,,eden ,in this garden they were very good and happy4 ,god himself used to come down and talk to them in the cool of the evening4 ,he told ,adam and ,eve that ,he had made everything for them1 and that the trees with their sweet fruit were for their food4 ,but ,god gave them one command4 ,he said they were not to eat the fruit of one particular tree in the garden4 ,god knew the fruit of this tree would make ,adam and ,eve very unhappy1 if they ate it4 ,now ,i must explain to you that there were some of ,god's angels who had been very disobedient1 and they had been shut out of heaven because they would not obey ,god4 ,adam and ,eve were very happy1 as ,i said1 and they did not think of disobeying ,god till ,satan 7that wicked angel who tries to make us do naughty things7 hid himself in a serpent1 and came to ,eve and began to talk to her4 ,eve was not surprised that a serpent could talk to her1 for so many wonderful things were around her1 that she listened to him1 and answered him1 without thinking it was any harm4 ,this is how temptation often comes to us1 children6 ,satan began by asking ,eve a very clever question4 ,he said1 ,are you sure ,god has said that you may not eat of every tree in the garden8 ,then ,eve said eagerly1 ,we may eat of every tree except one2 but if we eat of that one we shall have to die6 ,then the serpent said to ,eve1 ,you will not have to die6 ,you will only be a great deal more wise than you are now6 ,and so ,eve looked longingly at the tree1 and when she saw that the fruit looked so nice1 and heard that it would make her clever1 she forgot all about obeying ,god1 and picked the fruit and ate it1 and gave some to ,adam her husband1 and he ate it too4 ,illustration3 ,,picked ,,the ,,fruit ,,and ,,ate ,,it4 ,oh1 how sad was their disobedience1 and what sorrow it brought on them and their children6 ,so the ,lord ,god sent them out of the beautiful garden1 because there was in the midst of the garden the ,tree of ,life1 and ,god did not wish them to eat of that tree now4 ,so ,he put angels at the gate of ,eden with a flaming sword1 to keep the way of the ,tree of ,life4 ,then ,adam and ,eve went out sorrowfully from their lovely garden1 and ,adam had to work very hard in digging the ground to plant things to grow for that food4 ,eve was very sad too1 and in the end they both had to die1 as ,god had said4 ,but ,god is very pitiful1 and when ,he was telling ,eve how wrong she had been1 and what a cruel enemy the ,serpent was1 ,he promised her that some day a ,deliverer should come1 who should destroy the serpent1 ,satan4 ,this ,deliverer is ,jesus ,christ our ,saviour1 ,who came to earth to live and to die for us1 that ,he might undo all that ,satan had done to hurt us1 and make all who will trust ,jesus1 happy in heaven for ever4 ,and in the ,revelation1 we read a beautiful promise1 which tells us something about ,heaven that we never could have guessed when we saw poor ,adam and ,eve driven out of ,eden-- ,to him that overcometh will ,i give to eat of the ,tree of ,life1 which is in the midst of the ,paradise of ,god6 ,,xxix4 ,cain and ,abel ,by and by ,god gave ,adam and ,eve two sons4 ,the eldest was named ,cain1 who helped ,adam till the ground2 and the younger was named ,abel1 who was a keeper of sheep4 ,after a time1 both these young men brought an offering to the ,lord2 and the ,lord accepted the offering of ,abel1 which was a lamb from the flock1 but ,he could not accept the offering of fruit which ,cain brought4 ,perhaps you wonder at that1 dear children8 ,but ,i will try to explain it to you4 ,god looks on the heart1 and ,abel's heart was obedient4 ,he brought that which ,god had appointed as the way to come to ,him4 ,but ,cain was not obedient2 he thought that the fruit of the ground which he had taken such trouble to grow1 would do just as well6 ,so when he found that ,god did not accept his offering1 he was very angry1 and his countenance fell4 ,and the ,lord said to him1 ,why are you angry1 ,cain8 ,if you do well1 shall it not be accepted8 ,and if you do not do well1 a ,sin-offering lies at the door4 ,i think that ,,god meant ,cain to understand that it was only by a ,sacrifice that we can come near to ,him4 ,and when1 all through the ,old ,testament1 we read of the sacrifice of a lamb as an offering for sin1 ,god accepted the lamb1 because ,he looked on to the time when the ,lord ,jesus would be ,the ,lamb of ,god1 which taketh away the sin of the world4 ,but ,cain did not heed ,god's gentle persuasion1 that he too could bring a sin-offering2 and presently1 when he was alone with his brother1 he got more and more angry1 and at last rushed at him and struck him and killed him6 ,oh1 the misery of poor ,cain6 ,no one can tell how he longed to undo that cruel deed4 ,no one knows the sorrow and punishment of his whole life4 ,children1 let it be a warning to us not to let anger and jealousy live in our hearts1 but let us pray every day1 ,deliver me from ,satan1 the ,evil one1 who would tempt me to sin against ,thee1 and accept me1 for ,jesus' sake6 ,,xxx4 ,the ,escape from ,sodom ,then the two angels rose up and went towards ,sodom1 and the ,lord remained talking with ,abraham4 ,he told ,abraham that ,he intended to destroy ,sodom1 because the city was so very wicked6 ,now ,abraham knew that his nephew ,lot was living there1 and he begged ,god to spare ,sodom if there were fifty good people there4 ,and the ,lord promised to spare it if there were6 ,but ,abraham began to fear there were not so many2 and he kept on asking the ,lord1 till at last he got down to ten6 and the ,lord said ,he would spare it for ten's sake4 ,and then the ,lord went on ,his way1 and ,abraham went back to his home4 ,but when the angels got to ,sodom1 they could not even find ten who loved ,god6 ,they found ,lot and his family1 and urged them to escape for their lives across the plain1 and not once to look behind them1 for ,sodom was going to be burned all up6 ,so ,lot escaped with his wife and two daughters and fled for his life4 ,but his wife was disobedient to ,god's message1 and turned to look back1 and she was turned into a pillar of salt4 ,and so the great and wicked city was destroyed by a terrible judgment from the ,lord1 but ,lot was saved6 ,dear children6 ,god has sent ,jesus to be our ,saviour1 let us fly to ,him from our sins1 and so be safe for ever in ,his happy1 happy land4 ,,xxxi4 ,the ,tower of ,babel ,what a great tower6 says someone4 ,and how high it is6 ,look2 the houses are so small down there on that great sort of field1 and the tower is going to be built higher still1 because1 you see1 it is not finished6 ,you are quite right6 ,that beautiful tower never was finished1 though it was begun four thousand years ago6 ,i told you about the ,flood2 and this is the next story after the ,flood4 ,you remember that when the rain stopped1 and ,god allowed the waters to go down1 the tops of the mountains began to be seen1 and then the green fields were uncovered1 and ,noah and his children and all the animals were able to come out of the ,ark1 and to begin to live on the earth again4 ,but1 alas1 as men began to increase on the earth1 they began to forget ,god1 and the way ,he had saved them in the ,ark4 ,but they remembered the flood1 and they thought in their pride1 that they would build a very high tower whose top should reach to ,heaven1 so that no flood could overwhelm them any more4 ,but there was another thing they forgot2 and that was ,god's promise to them1 that ,he never would send a flood to destroy the world again4 ,then ,god came down from ,heaven to see all that the men on the earth were doing4 ,and when ,he saw their pride and their forgetfulness of ,him1 the ,lord said1 ,let us go down and prevent the men from understanding each other's speech4 ,illustration3 ,,they ,,would ,,build ,a ,,very ,,high ,,tower4 ,and when ,god had done this1 the men could not speak to each other about their work as they used4 ,it was just as if someone were to speak ,german or ,italian or ,spanish to you and expect you to understand4 ,so the men could not build any more1 for no one could understand what the others said4 ,so they left off building and were scattered to all parts of the earth2 and the city they had tried to build was called ,babel--which means ,confusion4 ,but ,god did not forget ,his servant ,noah1 nor ,noah's good son ,shem4 ,he took care of ,shem and of his children after him1 and by and by of ,shem's grandchildren and great-grandchildren1 till at length ,abraham was born4 ,and ,abraham had the great honour of being called ,the ,friend of ,god6 ,perhaps you think how much you would like to be called such a name as that8 ,then let all of us who would like to be called ,god's friends set out to be obedient4 ,god has put in the ,bible rules which are to guide us every day4 ,if we follow them1 that is being obedient4 ,do you remember what the ,lord ,jesus said about that1 when ,he was on earth8 ,here are the words1-- ,ye are ,my friends1 if ye do whatsoever ,i command you4 ,for whosoever shall do the ,will of ,my ,father which is in ,heaven1 the same is ,my brother and sister and mother4 ,,xxxii4 ,the ,friend of ,god ,now the ,lord had said to ,abram1 ,get thee out of thy country1 and from thy father's house1 unto a land which ,i will shew thee2 and ,i will make of thee a great nation1 and ,i will bless thee 4 4 4 and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed4 ,so ,abram obeyed1 and went out from ,ur of the ,chaldees1 and came into the land of ,canaan4 ,god had given ,abram most wonderful promises1 as well as frequent assurances of ,his love4 ,he was also very rich1 for ,god had given him a great deal of money1 and many sheep and oxen and camels4 ,but there was one thing which ,god had not given ,abram1 which he longed for very much2 and this was a little child of his very own4 ,god loved ,abram1 and ,he would not have denied him his desire without some wise and loving reason4 ,god promised ,abram that he should have a son1 but ,he wished to prove to all the world1 and to the angels who are looking on at what happens on this earth1 that ,abram could trust ,him1 and trust ,his promise even though he should have to wait twenty years for it4 ,abram had brought his wife ,sarah1 and his nephew ,lot with him1 when he left his own country2 but after a time he and ,lot had so many sheep and oxen that there was not grass enough for them all2 so ,lot chose the land towards ,sodom1 and ,abram dwelt in the land of ,canaan4 ,one day the word of ,god came to ,abram in a vision or dream1 saying1 ,fear not1 ,abram1 ,i am thy shield1 and thy exceeding great reward6 ,then ,abram told the ,lord how he wanted a son of his own1 for he had no one to take all his riches by and by1 except the servant who managed his property4 ,and ,god promised ,abram that he should have a son of his very own4 ,and ,god led him out in the night when all the beautiful stars were shining in the deep blue sky1 and ,god said1 ,look now towards heaven1 and tell the stars if thou be able to count them2 and ,god said1 ,so shall the number of your children be6 ,and ,abram believed in the ,lord1 and ,he counted it to him for righteousness4 ,do you not think1 children1 that as ,abram walked on those lonely mountains in ,palestine1 that he must often have thought ,god has promised all this land to me and my children6 ,and then1 when he looked up at the stars at night in the clear atmosphere1 that he must have been lost in wonder at the thousands and thousands of stars which he saw1 and have said to himself1 ,god promised so shall my seed be6 ,the ,lord ,jesus1 in the ,new ,testament1 tells us something about ,abraham which we do not read in ,genesis4 ,he said ,abraham rejoiced to see my day1 he saw it and was glad6 ,how wonderful it is that ,god notices and remembers when we try to please ,him1 and sees our hearts when nobody else can6 ,at length ,abram was ninety years old1 and the ,lord appeared to him again1 and told him that his name should not be called ,abram any more1 but ,abraham1 because he was to be a father of many nations4 ,and then ,god told ,abraham that very soon he and ,sarah were to have a little son1 and that his name was to be called ,isaac4 ,so one day ,abraham was sitting at the door of his tent in the heat of the day1 when he looked up and saw three men standing by him2 and when he saw them1 he ran to meet them and bowed himself to the ground4 ,perhaps ,abraham guessed that one of the three men was the ,lord2 for afterwards he did not seem at all surprised when the ,lord spoke to him1 and promised to give ,sarah a little son very soon4 ,at any rate he begged the three men to rest beneath the tree while he hastened away to prepare food to refresh them4 ,then he took butter and milk and a young calf which he had cooked1 and set it before them and he stood by under the tree1 and they did eat4 ,then they asked him where ,sarah was1 and ,abraham answered that she was in the tent4 ,and the ,lord said1 ,i will certainly return and ,sarah1 thy wife1 shall have a son4 ,now ,sarah was just inside the tent1 and when she heard the words1 she laughed within herself4 ,and the ,lord said to ,abraham1 ,why did ,sarah laugh1 saying1 ',shall ,i of a surety have a child8' ,is anything too hard for the ,lord8 ,at the time appointed ,i will return unto thee1 and ,sarah shall have a son4 ,and ,sarah was ashamed that she had doubted ,god's promise1 and she denied1 saying1 ,i did not laugh1 for she was afraid4 ,but the ,lord said1 ,nay1 but thou didst laugh4 ,,xxxiii4 ,in a ,thirsty ,land ,this is a nice story for children1 because it tells us that ,god listens when children pray1 and sympathizes with all that happens to children4 ,the boy you see in the picture is almost dying for want of water4 ,perhaps none of you children know how dreadful it is to be really very thirsty1 and have nothing to drink1 however thirsty you may be4 ,hagar1 the mother of the boy1 is very sad4 ,she knows that the bottle is empty1 and she cannot see any sign of a well1 or of a spring of water1 in the great sandy desert which stretches in every direction as far as the eye can see4 ,ishmael is her one child1 and ,god has allowed them to be sent out into the wilderness1 with only a bottle of water and as much bread as they can carry2 for ,hagar had been turned out of her home1 and had been obliged to take that long and dangerous journey1 because of the unkindness of her mistress ,sarah4 ,but ,god was watching over her and ,ishmael4 ,he would not allow anything to really hurt them1 and in ,his great pity1 ,he sent to save them when all other help had failed4 ,by and by there was not one drop of water left in the bottle1 and ,ishmael had no strength to walk any further4 ,hagar knew that all hope was over1 now that ,ishmael could not walk another step6 ,so she laid him down under a little shrub that grew there1 and went some little distance off1 for she said in her grief1 ,i cannot bear to see him die4 ,so she sat down in her misery and cried bitterly4 ,but ,god heard the voice of the lad1 and ,he sent ,his angel to call to ,hagar from heaven4 ,what is the matter1 ,hagar8 ,do not be afraid1 for ,god has heard the voice of the lad1 where he is4 ,arise1 lift up the lad and hold him in thine hand2 for ,i will make of him a great nation4 ,then ,god opened her eyes and she saw a well of water2 and she went and filled the bottle with water1 and gave the lad drink1 and he revived1 and presently got quite well4 ,and this is the lesson which we may learn from ,ishmael's cry1 children4 ,god knows our difficulties2 ,god hears us when we speak to ,him2 ,god is nearer than we think2 ,god is more loving than the most loving of earthly friends4 ,he tells us to call upon ,him in trouble4 ,let us think of ,ishmael dying for want of water1 and crying to ,god in his distress1 and let us do the same in our troubles6 ,no matter how small they may seem1 ,god says ,he cares4 ,let us take courage1 then2 and if ,god whispers to us when we are sorrowful 7like ,he did to ,hagar71 ,what aileth thee--what is the matter8 ,let us listen for another whisper1 for ,he will surely finish the sentence to us1 as ,he did to ,hagar1 with the cheering words1 ,fear not6 ,,xxxiv4 ,the ,offering of ,isaac ,so ,abraham was given his dear little son ,isaac1 and he was the delight of ,abraham's life1 and of ,sarah's too4 ,but by and by1 ,god wished to try ,abraham's faith more than even in that long waiting time for ,isaac4 ,god was going to ask him to do about the hardest thing that a man could be asked to do4 ,god told ,abraham that he was to take his dear son whom he so fondly loved1 and to go to a mountain a long way off1 in the land of ,moriah1 and to offer him up to ,god as a sacrifice4 ,this was to try ,abraham's obedience and faith4 ,was he to take ,isaac6 ,on whom all his hopes rested1 who was the joy of his life1 and through whom all the world was to be blessed2 was he to lay him upon the altar1 and offer him up to ,god1 as he did the lambs from his flock8 ,but ,abraham did not hesitate4 ,if ,god told him to do a thing1 he obeyed4 ,he knew that ,god could even raise ,isaac from the dead1 if ,he thought good4 ,at any rate he had nothing to do1 but to obey6 ,so he got up very early in the morning and saddled his ass1 and took two young men with him1 and his son1 and the wood for the burnt offering1 and set out on his journey to the place ,god had told him of4 ,the most precious thing ,abraham had was that son who was walking beside him4 ,and besides his love for his boy1 ,god had promised that ,isaac should live to have a son1 and that by and by the ,saviour should come into the world as one of ,isaac's great-great-great-great-grandchildren6 ,isaac was now grown into a strong young man1 but he went with his father2 and though he asked him on the way1 ,where was the lamb for the burnt offering8 ,he was satisfied with his father's answer1 ,my son1 ,god will provide ,himself a lamb for a burnt offering4 ,when they reached the place which ,god had told him of1 ,abraham bound ,isaac his son1 and laid him upon the altar2 and then he stretched out his hand with the knife in it1 to offer up his son as ,god had told him4 ,but as quickly as the knife was raised1 so quickly an angel of ,god called out of heaven1 ,abraham1 ,abraham6 ,oh1 how glad ,abraham was to draw back that dreadful knife and answer1 ,here am ,i6 ,and ,god said1 ,lay not thy hand upon the lad1 neither do thou anything to him2 for now ,i know that thou fearest ,god1 seeing thou hast not withheld thy son1 thine only son1 from ,,me4 ,and when ,abraham looked up1 he saw a ram caught by his horns in a bush2 and he took him and offered him up instead of his son4 ,so ,isaac was given back to his loving father1 and ,god was very pleased with ,abraham's obedience1 and ,he told him that in ,isaac's children1 by and by1 all the nations of the world should be blessed4 ,for in about eighteen hundred years after this1 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ was coming to this earth to be ,the ,lamb of ,god which taketh away the sin of the world2 and ,i think that when ,abraham said1 ,god ,himself will provide a lamb1 he was thinking1 not only of the saving of ,isaac's life1 but of that far-off day when ,jesus should bear our sins1 instead of us1 on the ,cross of ,calvary1 that we may go free6 ,,xxxv4 ,a ,bargain ,between ,two ,brothers ,by and by ,isaac grew up to be a man4 ,abraham and ,sarah heard that in ,abraham's old home in ,mesopotamia1 his brother ,nahor had a family of sons and daughters1 and they thought it would be very nice if ,isaac could have one of these daughters for his wife4 ,so ,abraham called ,eliezer1 his chief servant1 and told him to prepare for a long journey1 as he wished him to bring back a wife for his son ,isaac4 ,eliezer was afraid that the maiden would not come so far1 but ,abraham told him that ,god would send ,his angel with him to prosper him on his way4 ,so ,eliezer took some valuable presents1 and set out with camels and servants to seek for a wife for his master's son4 ,he at length reached the city of ,nahor1 where ,abraham used to live4 ,it seems that ,eliezer used to pray about everything6 ,if he could not kneel down to pray1 he prayed in his heart2 and to those who tell ,god everything1 ,god sends very quick answers4 ,in those hot countries1 the caravans stop outside the city at the well1 so that the thirsty men as well as the camels may drink4 ,then ,eliezer prayed1 and asked ,god to send out the maiden to draw water1 who was to be the wife of ,isaac1 and to point her out to him by her offering to draw water for the camels2 and it all happened just as he had prayed4 ,rebecca came out of the city with a pitcher upon her shoulder1 which she carried to the well and filled with water4 ,when ,eliezer ran to meet her1 and asked her for a drink1 she hastened to give him some1 and offered at once to fill the trough and water all the thirsty camels4 ,then ,eliezer asked her whose daughter she was1 and when she told him1 he knew at once that ,god had guided him to the very maiden whom ,abraham wanted his son to marry6 ,was not this a quick answer8 ,and ,eliezer not only asked1 but he thanked ,god for the answer4 ,and the man bowed down his head and worshipped the ,lord4 ,then he gave ,rebecca some beautiful presents2 as well as many precious things for her mother and her brother4 ,and so ,rebecca consented to go back with ,eliezer and became ,isaac's wife2 and ,isaac was very glad his father had sent for her all that long way1 for he loved her very much4 ,by and by ,god sent ,isaac and ,rebecca two little twin sons1 who grew up to be men4 ,esau was the elder1 and ,jacob was the younger4 ,esau was a very clever hunter1 and lived an adventurous life among the mountains1 and was often away for days in his hunting excursions4 ,jacob1 however1 preferred staying quietly at home1 living in the tents1 and looking after the flocks and herds4 ,isaac was now getting old1 and he loved ,esau the best of his two sons1 because ,esau often brought him a wild animal from his hunting1 and would cook it for his father and make it into a savoury dish4 ,but ,rebecca loved ,jacob the best2 and in after years1 through her making him such a favourite1 she had the greatest sorrow of her life4 ,one day ,esau came in from a long journey1 and though he had succeeded in catching and bringing home an animal1 he had had nothing to eat for a long time and as he got near to the tents where they all lived1 he saw his brother ,jacob sitting eating a bowlful of red pottage1 which he had just made for himself4 ,esau was very faint and hungry1 with such hunger as you and ,i1 dear children1 have probably never felt4 ,very likely he had tasted no food that day1 and perhaps not the day before4 ,the sight of the steaming bowl of pottage made him feel as if he would give anything he possessed for some of it to stop the pangs of hunger4 ,now ,i am sorry to tell you that ,jacob had a very mean character4 ,though he truly loved ,god and wished to please ,him1 his natural character was very shifty4 ,so when his brother ,esau asked him eagerly to give him his bowl of pottage1 ,jacob did not jump up and press it upon his hungry brother1 but he thought it was a good opportunity to make a bargain6 ,if ,i do give it to you1 sell me your birthright6 he exclaimed4 ,now among the ,jews1 the birthright of being the eldest son1 ,god had made a great honour4 ,it was most jealously guarded and taken care of2 and ,god gave great blessings with it4 ,but ,esau did not love ,god truly in his heart1 as ,jacob did2 he was busy with other things1 and had never given it a thought that to love and serve ,god was more important than anything else4 ,so he said to ,jacob1 ,i am so faint for food that ,i am ready to die6 ,what good will this birthright do me8 ,so ,jacob answered1 ,you must give me your most sacred promise that you sell it to me for this pottage of lentils6 ,and ,esau promised most solemnly2 and so he sold his birthright6 ,then ,jacob gave ,esau some bread1 and his pottage of lentils1 and ,esau ate and drank1 and rose up and went away4 ,and thus1 he despised the birthright which ,god had given him4 ,he was very very sorry afterwards1 but he could not undo what he had done4 ,i think this is a very sorrowful story1 because there are so many people like ,esau1 who turn away from ,god's best gifts1 and seek only the earthly things which will quickly pass away4 ,let the lesson to us1 dear children1 be to love ,god first and best of all--before food or clothes1 or toys1 or happiness--to put ,god first2 and when we have ,him for our own1 ,he will take care that we shall have all we need to make us happy2 and at the end a ,right to the ,tree of ,life2 and we shall enter in through the gates1 into the ,heavenly ,city4 ,,xxxvi4 ,the ,ladder up to ,heaven ,though ,jacob loved ,god truly1 he was not very truthful1 and had many faults4 ,this is very sad1 but ,i think knowing about it is a help to you and me1 dear children1 because we see that in spite of all1 ,god loved him and forgave him1 and taught him as ,he led him through his long life1 to try more and more to please ,him in everything4 ,jacob had bargained with his hungry brother ,esau for his ,birthright1 and had got it from him4 ,after a time when ,isaac1 his father1 was very old and was soon going to die1 ,rebecca heard ,isaac asking ,esau to go out hunting and bring him home some savoury meat1 for he wished to bless him before he died4 ,directly ,esau was gone1 ,rebecca called ,jacob to her1 and together they planned to deceive ,isaac1 who was nearly blind with age1 by ,jacob's dressing up in ,esau's clothes and pretending to be his first-born son4 ,so ,jacob got his father's blessing as well as the ,birthright2 and ,esau was so terribly angry that he said he would kill his brother when his father was dead4 ,when ,rebecca heard of this1 she begged ,jacob to fly to ,haran1 where her brother ,laban lived1 and stay there until ,esau was pacified4 ,then she went to ,isaac and told him that they would send ,jacob to get a wife from her old home1 and ,isaac agreed1 and ,rebecca sent her son away and never saw his face again4 ,oh1 sad deception6 ,what sorrow it brought on both ,rebecca and ,jacob6 ,so ,jacob set out on his long journey and one night he came to a lonely places far from any village where people lived4 ,jacob was tired and the sun had set1 and he had no light to guide him1 so he thought he would lie down where he was1 and go to sleep till daylight4 ,then he had a wonderful dream1 and this is what he saw3 ,right in front of him was a ladder set up on the earth1 and it went up till the top reached right to heaven4 ,and he could see the angels of ,god going up and coming down upon it4 ,but beyond all1 in the radiant glory1 the ,lord stood above the ladder and spoke to ,jacob4 ,he told him that ,he was the ,lord ,god of ,abraham1 and of ,isaac1 and that by and by through his children's children should come the ,one who was to be the ,blessing of the whole world4 ,we know the name of that ,holy ,one ,who is the world's blessing2 it is ,jesus ,christ1 ,who came into the world to save sinners6 ,then ,jacob awoke from his dream and said1 ,surely the ,lord is in this place6 4 4 4 ,this is none other than the gate of heaven6 ,so he took the stones on which he had been resting1 and set them up for an altar to the ,lord1 and made a vow that he would serve ,god all his life1 and would give to ,god the tenth part of everything that ,god gave to him4 ,now it seems to me1 children1 that this ,ladder up to heaven comes into our lives every day4 ,jesus1 our ,saviour1 is like the ladder which rested on the earth close to ,jacob2 and ,he is gone back to heaven now to be there to help us in every way3 that is the top of the ladder which reached to heaven1 where the ,lord stood and spoke to ,jacob4 ,so when you see this picture1 say to yourselves1 ,jesus is my ladder6 ,he is close to me here1 ,he is close to ,god there6 ,he will never leave me nor forsake me2 ,i can send messages and prayers every time ,i am lonely or in trouble1 and ,he will send back answers if ,i wait for them4 ,so ,jacob went on his journey over the desert and at length reached the country to the ,east1 where he hoped he would find his mother's relations4 ,,xxxvii4 ,jacob meets ,rachel ,one day ,jacob sat down by a well1 and looking about him he saw a number of flocks coming near and waiting by the mouth of the well1 which had a large stone upon it4 ,so he asked the shepherds whether they knew a man called ,laban2 and they told him that they did1 and that his daughter ,rachel was even now coming with her father's flock6 ,so ,jacob was very glad to see ,rachel1 and went to the well and rolled the stone away1 and watered the flock for her4 ,and then he told ,rachel that his mother was ,rebecca1 ,laban's sister2 and she ran and told her father4 ,illustration3 ,,jacob ,,was ,,very ,,glad ,,to ,,see ,,rachel4 ,then there was great rejoicing1 and ,laban welcomed ,jacob to his home1 and he began to take care of the flocks4 ,when ,jacob had been there a month1 ,laban asked him what wages he would have1 and whether he would stay with him8 ,and ,jacob gladly consented1 for he loved ,rachel very much1 and promised to serve ,laban for seven years1 if he would give him ,rachel for his wife4 ,so at the end of the time1 ,rachel became his wife2 and by and by1 ,god sent her a little son called ,joseph1 who was going to be1 many years afterwards1 a great ruler in the land of ,egypt6 ,,xxxviii4 ,the ,story of ,joseph ,you have often heard of ,joseph's coat of many colours1 and of his being sold by his brothers into ,egypt4 ,so ,i am going to tell you a little about him1 and then you will understand how he came to have that beautiful coat4 ,i have read that generally the eldest son was given a bright coloured1 beautifully-worked coat2 but ,joseph was the eleventh son1 and ,jacob1 his father1 gave him that pretty coat because he loved him so very much4 ,when his brothers saw it1 they felt very jealous1 and hated ,joseph because his father made him such a favourite4 ,now jealousy is a very wretched feeling4 ,it is wrong as well as wretched4 ,if boys and girls--or grown up people-give way to jealousy1 they may by and by do very unkind and wicked things4 ,the ,bible says ,jealousy is cruel as the grave1 and you will see as we go on with the story of ,joseph1 how very true it was in his case4 ,one day ,joseph had a very wonderful dream1 and he told his brothers about it4 ,he had dreamed that he and his brothers were binding sheaves of corn in a field1 and that his sheaf stood upright1 and that all the sheaves of his brothers bowed down to his sheaf4 ,this displeased his brothers very much1 and they hated him more than they did before4 ,after a time1 ,jacob sent ,joseph to some far-off fields to see how his brothers and the flocks were getting on1 for ,jacob and his sons were shepherds4 ,when the brothers saw him coming1 they remembered about his dream1 and they determined to kill him1 and cast his body into a pit4 ,but ,reuben1 his eldest brother1 wished to save him out of their hands1 so he advised them to put him into the pit alive1 intending to come presently and take him back to their father4 ,but while ,reuben was away1 some merchants came by on camels1 on their way down to ,egypt1 and the brothers decided to sell ,joseph to them4 ,though the lad wept and besought them not to be so cruel1 they would not hear4 ,so the merchants gave them twenty pieces of silver for their brother1 and put him on a camel1 and took him a long way off to sell him for a slave4 ,then the brothers took ,joseph's coat of many colours1 and dipped it in the blood of a little goat1 and carried the coat back to ,jacob1 telling him they supposed ,joseph must have been killed by a wild beast1 as that was how they had found his coat6 ,but ,god meant it for good all the time1 and afterwards we see how this was4 ,so the unkind brothers let their poor father grieve for ,joseph for many many years4 ,meanwhile ,joseph was brought by the merchants down to ,egypt1 which is the country that joins on to the land of ,canaan at the bottom--or south4 ,the master who bought him from the merchants treated him very kindly1 and when he saw how ,god prospered all that ,joseph did1 he made him overseer of all his property4 ,but all at once another trouble came to ,joseph6 ,he was falsely accused to his master1 and was cast into prison4 ,still ,god meant it for good1 and ,joseph behaved so well in the prison 7for ,god was with him71 that the keeper of the prison took the fetters off his feet1 and gave him the charge of all the other prisoners4 ,see1 children1 what a nice thing it is to serve ,god in difficult circumstances6 ,by and by1 after a very long time1 ,joseph was taken to ,pharaoh1 the great ,king of ,egypt1 to tell him the meaning of a wonderful dream1 which had frightened him very much4 ,thus step by step the slave-boy was being brought to the king's palace4 ,god gave ,joseph wisdom and favour4 ,he was not only able to tell ,pharaoh the meaning of his dream1 that there would be seven years of plentiful harvests and seven years of famine2 but he gave the king such good advice that the ,egyptians were delighted1 and ,pharaoh put ,joseph at the head of everything to carry it out4 ,the advice was1 to carefully store up the corn in the good years1 so that there would be enough for the bad years4 ,and it was in those bad years of famine that old ,jacob--,joseph's dear father--sent ten of his sons down to ,egypt to buy corn4 ,they had no idea that the great ruler1 who1 they heard1 was selling corn to the hungry people1 was their own brother1 whom they had sold for a slave thirteen years before6 ,so they came down to ,egypt1 and were taken into the presence of ,joseph1 though they did not recognize who that great prince was4 ,then they bowed themselves to the ground before him1 and asked him if he would sell them some corn for their families6 ,joseph knew his brothers at once4 ,they were less changed than he was2 but he did not make himself known to them at first4 ,he asked all about their father1 and their youngest brother2 and spoke roughly to them1 telling them that if they wanted corn1 they must go back to fetch their brother ,benjamin1 that he might see him1 if they were true men6 ,afterwards he told them that he served ,god himself1 and as he knew their families were hungry1 he would give them some corn1 but they must go1 all the same1 and fetch their other brother back4 ,oh6 ,how sorry all those ten brothers were for their sin4 ,they remembered now how cruel they had been4 ,they said to each other1 ,we were verily guilty concerning our brother1 in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought us1 and we would not hear4 ,but they talked in their own language1 and did not know that the great prince understood them2 and ,joseph hastened away from them and cried4 ,for he was quite ready to forgive them1 but he longed to see his brother ,benjamin4 ,so he sent nine of them back with the corn to fetch him1 and kept one brother in ward till they should come again4 ,so they returned to ,canaan1 and poor old ,jacob was obliged to spare his youngest boy to go down to ,egypt1 little thinking that ,joseph was alive1 and that by and by1 in ,god's best time1 he was to see his dear ,joseph again1 and clasp his son ,in his arms4 ,god watches over ,his people1 and promises to make all things work together for good1 because they love ,him6 ,,xxxix4 ,jacob ,comes into ,egypt ,when at last ,benjamin reached ,egypt1 ,joseph could hardly help telling his brothers the great secret1 that he was alive6 ,but still1 he allowed them to set out with their sacks of corn on their homeward journey again2 and told his servants to hide his drinking cup in ,benjamin's sack4 ,when the party had gone a little way1 ,joseph's servants were told to overtake them1 and to charge them with having stolen his cup6 ,you can guess how terrified the brothers were at such a charge from the great prince6 ,they unloaded their asses1 and told the ,egyptian servants to look for themselves6 ,but when the cup was really found in ,benjamin's sack1 they had not a word to say2 and as they returned sorrowfully to the house of the great prince1 they confessed to each other that ,god was punishing them for their cruelty to their young brother long ago4 ,but ,god saw their sorrow for their sin1 and ,he forgave them1 and was going to bring good out of it all4 ,when they got back to ,joseph1 after hearing their sorrowful explanation1 he could no longer keep in his loving wish to forgive them2 and he told them not to grieve1 for he was still alive4 ,and then1 he sent them all home again1 giving his brothers a handsome set of clothes each1 and with quantities of presents for his aged father1 as well as sending some wagons to the land of ,canaan1 to fetch his father and all their families down to ,egypt1 that he might take care of them while the famine lasted4 ,joseph sent his father a great many beautiful presents2 and when the brothers got back1 and told ,jacob that ,joseph was alive and was ruler over all the land of ,egypt1 and that he wished his father and all their families to come down to ,egypt1 the heart of ,jacob fainted within him1 for he did not believe them4 ,but when he saw the wagons which ,joseph had sent to carry him down to ,egypt1 the heart of ,jacob their father revived1 and ,israel said1 ,it is enough2 ,joseph my son is yet alive3 ,i will go down and see him before ,i die6 ,and children6 ,these wagons of ,joseph's have often been a lesson to me6 ,like old ,jacob1 we see ,god's mercies surrounding us1 and yet because we do not believe and trust ,him enough1 our hearts faint within us at some fresh difficulty that stands in our way1 perhaps4 ,you ask1 ,what are the wagons1 then8 ,i think the wagons are a picture to us of the reality of ,god's promises1 and of the reality of the living ,jesus4 ,jacob said1 ,joseph my son is yet alive6 ,we may say with tenderest reverence1 ,jesus my ,saviour is a living ,saviour1 ,i will trust myself to ,him and follow ,him1 and one day ,i shall see ,him face to face6 ,,xl4 ,moses and the ,children of ,israel ,you often hear in the ,bible about ,the ,children of ,israel1 and now ,i am going to tell you how it was they were called by that name4 ,long before ,jacob and his sons went down to ,egypt to live near ,joseph1 ,god had met ,jacob one night and had given him a new name4 ,god loved ,jacob very much1 and ,he did not wish him to be called ,jacob any more1 because that name meant a ,supplanter--one who had taken something away from another--and ,god forgave ,jacob for his deceit1 and called him henceforward1 ,israel4 ,so1 when in after years1 he went down to ,egypt1 he is often called ,israel2 and thus his twelve sons came to be called ,the ,children of ,israel4 ,well1 the children of ,israel settled down in ,egypt1 and ,joseph was very kind to them1 and they lived in the land of ,goshen and were very happy4 ,but after a time another ,pharaoh came to the throne1 who did not remember ,joseph1 and all he had done for the ,egyptians in that great famine2 and this ,pharaoh thought that these ,jews or children of ,israel should be made into slaves1 and should build his great cities and pyramids2 and he made their lives a terrible burden to them4 ,but ,god had not forgotten ,his great promise to ,abraham that his children should live in the land of ,canaan2 and when the time that ,god had mentioned to ,abraham drew near1 ,he was preparing a great deliverance for them2 to take them right out of ,egypt back to their own land6 ,you will now hear how ,god brought this to pass4 ,his ways are most wonderful6 ,the ,king of ,egypt1 called ,pharaoh1 was very surprised to find that in spite of all his unkindness1 the children of ,israel grew to be so many1 that he feared they would fill up all the land of ,egypt4 ,so he sent out a cruel order that all the little baby boys should be killed as soon as they were born4 ,some of the ,jews who loved and feared ,god would not obey the wicked order1 and among these was a mother called ,jochebed who had a very beautiful baby called ,moses4 ,the very best way when we want to do anything very difficult is to tell ,god about it1 and ask ,him to help us4 ,so this ,jewish mother did2 and then she made a strong basket of bulrushes1 over which she put pitch to keep out the water1 and then laid her sweet baby in it1 and laid the cradle in the bulrushes on the river bank1 sending his little sister ,miriam to watch him as well as she could4 ,think of the greedy crocodiles who might have come up from the river and have eaten little ,moses up6 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,finding ,,of ,,moses4 ,but ,god's loving care was over him and he did not get any harm4 ,by and by the daughter of ,pharaoh came down to the river to bathe2 and ,god sent her to the very spot where little ,moses lay crying in his basket4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,daughter ,,of ,,pharaoh ,,came ,,down ,,to ,,the ,,river ,,to ,,bathe4 ,the ,princess felt very sorry for the little baby1 and guessed it must belong to one of the poor ,jews who were ordered to throw their boys into the river4 ,so she told her maids to take up the babe2 and just as they did so1 little ,miriam1 who was not more than twelve years old1 came up to see what would happen to her little brother4 ,when she saw the ,princess was so kind1 she offered1 like a wise little girl1 to fetch a nurse for him2 and when the princess gave her permission1 ,miriam ran to ,moses1 own dear mother2 and she was allowed to take care of him1 to bring him up for the princess1 who loved him so much that she called him her son4 ,we are told in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 that it was by faith that ,moses' parents saved his life6 ,because they trusted ,god to do for them what they could not do for themselves6 ,,xli4 ,the ,rod of ,god ,perhaps when you have thought of little ,moses in the bulrushes1 you have wondered what became of him when he grew up to be a man8 ,well1 at first when he was in ,pharaoh's ,palace1 he was given hard lessons to learn1 like any of us4 ,but he seems to have been very clever and very industrious1 for soon he became learned in all the arts of the ,egyptians1 and was mighty in word and in deed4 ,though he was brought up so grandly in a palace1 he did not forget that he was a ,jew1 one of the ,children of ,israel4 ,he was very sorry to see his relations so cruelly treated1 and sometimes he would walk down to the part of the town where the ,jews lived1 and would look at them as they toiled at the hard work which ,pharaoh gave them to do4 ,one day ,moses saw one of the ,egyptians being very unkind to a ,jew1 and he ran to them and defended the ,jew1 and killed the ,egyptian and hid him in the sand2 he thought the ,jews would understand that ,god was going to send him to deliver them4 ,but the next day when he wished to settle a quarrel between two of the ,children of ,israel1 they did not like it1 and asked him if he was going to kill them as he did the ,egyptian yesterday8 ,then ,moses was frightened1 and left ,pharaoh's beautiful palace1 and all the splendour that he had enjoyed all his life1 and went away quite far from ,egypt for forty years6 ,here he was married and had two sons1 and he kept his father-in-law's flocks1 and lived very happily4 ,at length1 when he was watching the sheep one day near to a mountain1 the angel of ,god appeared to him in a flame of fire1 out of the midst of a bush4 ,moses thought the sight so wonderful that he came closer to look at it1 and then ,god called to him out of the burning bush and told him not to come near1 as ,god ,himself was there1 and the place was very holy4 ,and the ,lord said1 what will comfort every one of us to remember1 if we are in any trouble or sorrow1 ,i have surely seen the affliction of ,my people which are in ,egypt1 and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters2 for ,i know their sorrows2 and am come down to deliver them out of the hands of the ,egyptians4 ,come now therefore1 and ,i will send you to ,pharaoh1 that you may bring forth ,my people out of ,egypt4 ,but at first ,moses was very much afraid that the ,children of ,israel would not trust him1 and he almost wanted ,god to send some other messenger who would do the work better4 ,but ,god was very patient with ,moses2 ,he kept on assuring him that ,he would help him in every difficulty1 ,certainly ,i will be with thee1 ,he said4 ,at last ,moses told the ,lord that the people would say that he had not seen ,god at all2 and then the ,lord asked him what it was which he held in his hand8 ,so ,moses said it was a rod4 ,then ,god told him to throw it on the ground1 and in a moment the rod had turned into a serpent6 ,then ,god told him not to be afraid of it1 but to catch it by its tail2 and the serpent turned back into a rod in his hand4 ,so ,god told him to take that rod in his hand when he went to ,egypt1 for ,he would work signs with it for him4 ,moses was still afraid1 and then ,god allowed him to have his brother ,aaron with him1 that they might do ,god's wonderful signs together1 and help each other4 ,at length ,moses accomplished his journey to the land of the ,pyramids1 which it is probable the poor ,jews were helping to build at that very time2 and ,moses stood before ,pharaoh and gave him ,god's message ,let ,my people go that they may serve ,me6 ,but ,pharaoh was not willing to understand that message4 ,he saw those thousands of slaves1 who were busy building his cities and his tombs1 and he would not believe that there was anyone strong enough to deliver them from his powerful hand4 ,so he said scornfully1 ,who is the ,lord1 that ,i should obey ,his voice8 ,,xlii4 ,pharaoh's ,refusal ,so ,moses and ,aaron stood before ,pharaoh and gave him ,god's message-- ,thus saith the ,lord3 ,israel is ,my son1 even ,my first-born 4 4 4 and ,i say unto thee1 ,let ,my son go that he may serve ,me2 and if thou refuse to let him go1 behold ,i will slay thy son1 even thy first-born4 ,pharaoh was very angry4 ,he did not love the great and holy ,god who made heaven and earth2 but served his own gods made of wood and stone1 who could not speak or move4 ,and he said scornfully1 ,who is the ,lord that ,i should obey ,his voice8 ,so ,moses did as the ,lord had commanded him to do4 ,he told ,aaron1 his brother1 to take the ,rod of ,god1 which ,god had given him to do wonders with1 and to cast it down on the ground in front of ,pharaoh and his servants4 ,and when ,aaron cast it down1 the rod turned into a serpent6 ,so ,pharaoh called his wise men and sorcerers to see what they could do4 ,they were used to playing with snakes1 and teaching them tricks2 and when they threw down their rods1 they also turned into serpents4 ,but such a wonderful thing happened then--,aaron's rod swallowed up all their rods6 ,that was a thing they could not do6 ,but ,pharaoh's heart was hardened1 and he would not let the ,children of ,israel go4 ,so ,god sent some dreadful plagues on the land of ,egypt4 ,he turned all their water into blood2 ,he sent frogs over the land1 which came into their houses and got up on to their beds2 ,he sent a great darkness over all the land in the day-time1 so that the ,egyptians could not find their way about1 and many more things which ,i have not space to tell you4 ,for many days ,moses had been trying to persuade ,pharaoh to let the ,children of ,israel go out of his land2 and though ,god had sent great and dreadful plagues to warn the ,egyptians that they must obey ,him1 yet ,pharaoh would not listen4 ,at last1 ,god sent ,moses to him again and told him that if he would not let ,his people go1 ,god would send ,his destroying angel through the land1 and the first-born of every man and beast must die6 ,and there would be most dreadful sorrow through all the land of ,egypt4 ,,xliii4 ,the ,passover ,the ,easter full moon was shining down in all its white glory on the land of ,egypt1 more than three thousand years ago4 ,it was the last night that the ,children of ,israel were to stay in ,egypt6 ,to-morrow they would be free4 ,for that night1 at midnight1 the destroying angel would pass through the land of ,egypt1 to kill all the first-born of the ,egyptians2 and there would not be one house where there was not one dead4 ,perhaps you think to yourselves1 children1 ,but would the first-born of the ,israelites die too8 ,how would the destroying angel know which were ,egyptians1 and which were the ,children of ,israel8 ,ah6 ,god had foreseen how to prevent that6 ,he had not let plagues touch the houses of ,his own people6 ,he told ,moses that all who wished to be safe on that dreadful night1 must take a lamb1 and when they had killed it1 they must put its blood in a basin1 and sprinkle the blood on their houses4 ,god told them to take a bunch of hyssop1 and to sprinkle the top of the doorway and the side posts with blood2 and ,he promised that when ,he saw the blood ,he would pass over that house1 and not allow the destroying angel to enter4 ,that was why it was called ,the ,lord's ,passover4 ,and when ,god saw the blood of the ,lamb1 ,he looked forward to the time when ,his own dear ,son would be the ,lamb of ,god which taketh away the sin of the world4 ,do you not think1 children1 that those ,israelites made sure that the blood was sprinkled on their house8 ,can you not ,picture them running outside to look before they shut themselves inside the door8 ,and can you not almost hear them saying1 ,yes1 there is the blood of the ,lamb6 ,now we are safe6 ,and so hurry inside again1 and stay there until the morning1 as they were commanded4 ,and does not this question come home to your heart and mine to-day8 ,is the blood of the ,lamb of ,god sprinkled on my heart8 ,am ,i safe from the punishment of my sins because ,jesus died for me8 ,if so1 children1 we may rest secure1 and go out rejoicing on our journey towards the ,promised ,land in heaven4 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,god told them also to take the flesh of the lamb and to roast it at the fire1 and all who were in the house were to eat the ,passover ,supper4 ,it was a night to be remembered for ever1 when the ,lord delivered ,his people out of ,egypt6 ,and we1 too1 may say-- ,christ our ,passover is sacrificed for us1 therefore let us keep the feast6 ,,xliv4 ,bread from ,heaven ,so the ,israelites left the ,red ,sea behind1 and they went three days' journey into the wilderness1 and found no water for them to drink4 ,at length they came to a place called ,marah1 where to their joy they found some water4 ,but when they came to taste it1 the water was so bitter that they could not drink it4 ,then the people were very very angry with ,moses1 and blamed him very much4 ,so ,moses cried to the ,lord2 and the ,lord shewed him a tree1 which when he had cast into the waters they were made sweet and nice1 and the people could drink4 ,soon after this the great company had eaten up all the bread they had brought out of ,egypt1 and there were no shops to buy anything at1 nor any corn growing in the wilderness4 ,here was a new trouble1 so the people began to scold ,moses and ,aaron again1 saying they wished they had stayed in ,egypt after all4 ,they forgot all about the cruel taskmasters1 and the bricks1 and their slavery2 and they told ,moses he had brought them into the wilderness to kill them with hunger6 ,how soon they had forgotten all that ,god had done for them1 and how they had walked through the midst of the sea on dry land6 ,god was very grieved when ,he heard their murmurings2 but ,he promised ,moses that ,he would rain down bread from heaven for them to eat4 ,so that evening the ,lord sent a number of little birds1 called quails1 for the people to eat1 and they satisfied their hunger2 and in the morning ,he sent them the bread from heaven which ,he had promised4 ,perhaps you will say1 children1 ,loaves from heaven8 ,i daresay the ,israelites thought the same1 and wondered as you do4 ,so in the morning when they went out of their tents1 the dew laid on the ground1 and when the dew was gone1 the whole ground was covered with little white seeds4 ,and the ,children of ,israel called it ,manna4 ,the ,lord told them this was bread from heaven1 and that they were to gather a measure--called an omer--full for each person1 which would make them enough bread for the whole day4 ,on the day before the ,sabbath1 they were told to gather two omers full for every person1 and to make it into cakes ready for the ,sabbath day4 ,the taste of the cakes was like wafers made with honey4 ,and now1 children1 here comes a very sweet little lesson for you and for me4 ,jesus is the true ,bread from heaven1 and every day1 if we want to grow strong1 and brave1 and good1 we should--before we begin the work1 or play1 or school of our day--kneel down and ask ,god to give us a sight of ,jesus1 and to let us taste the sweetness of ,his love4 ,this will be our ,bread from ,heaven6 ,but soon came another difficulty4 ,as the great company moved on their journey1 they left the water which ,god had made sweet far behind them2 and very soon they were thirsty again1 and there was no water to drink6 ,they forgot all about the ,manna and the sweetened water at ,marah2 and they went and scolded ,moses again4 ,so ,god told ,moses to go to the ,rock in ,horeb1 and to strike it with his ,rod1 and water would flow out of it for the people to drink4 ,moses did exactly as ,god told him1 and the water flowed from the ,rock1 and so the ,people drank and were no longer thirsty4 ,,xlv4 ,the ,tabernacle in the ,wilderness ,the children of ,israel had been delivered from the bondage of the ,egyptians1 ,god had led them in the ,wilderness by ,his pillar of cloud by day1 and ,his pillar of fire by night2 ,he had given them ,his ,holy ,law1 which we call the ,ten ,commandments2 and now ,god longed that the people should be brought near to ,himself1 and that ,he should be able to dwell among them4 ,so while ,moses was up on the mountain alone with ,god1 ,god told him to make tent or tabernacle where the people could bring their sacrifices1 and where they might worship ,him4 ,so the first thing ,moses had to do was to tell the people that if they had willing hearts1 they were to bring gold and silver and brass2 and blue and purple and scarlet and fine linen2 and shittim wood2 and oil for light2 and precious stones and spices2 all these for an offering to the ,lord1 to be used for setting up the ,tabernacle4 ,illustration3 ,,gifts ,,for ,,the ,,tabernacle4 ,and then within the ,tabernacle there were to be some very holy things4 ,it was divided into two parts4 ,one part was called the ,holy ,place1 and the other the ,holiest of all4 ,in this ,holiest place of all there was only one thing to be put1 and that was an ,ark with the ,angels 7called ,cherubims71 shadowing the ,mercy ,seat above it4 ,in this ,ark1 or chest1 ,god told ,moses to put the slabs of stone with the ,commandments written upon it2 and this reminds us of those words1 ,yea1 ,thy law is within my heart4 ,and then1 resting on the top of the ,ark1 or chest1 was the ,mercy ,seat1 where the blood of the ,lamb was sprinkled1 and where ,god's glory would shine from day to day1 as ,he talked with ,moses from above the ,mercy ,seat4 ,then in the other part of the ,tabernacle1 called the ,holy place1 there were to be three things4 ,an ,altar of ,incense1 overlaid with gold2 the ,table of ,shewbread1 where fresh loaves were to be put daily2 and opposite to that1 was the ,golden ,candlestick1 all of gold1 for the light4 ,god chose ,bezaleel1 the grandson of ,hur1 and filled him with wisdom to make all the wonderful things of the ,tabernacle1 according to the pattern ,god had given ,moses1 and to teach other wise-hearted men to help him in this holy work4 ,surrounding the ,tabernacle was a fence made with boards and curtains4 ,every part of the ,tabernacle was to be made so that it might be taken down1 and carried from place to place1 and put up again when the camp rested4 ,only the priests might enter that enclosure hung with curtains4 ,as the people looked into it from the doorway1 or looked down upon it from the hillside above it1 the first thing that they would see shining out in the light of the sun was the ,brazen ,altar1 or ,altar of ,burnt ,offering4 ,illustration3 ,,here ,,the ,,priests ,,offered ,,up ,,the ,,sacrifices4 ,here the ,priests offered up the sacrifices which were brought by the people1 and ,god accepted them for the sake of ,jesus1 ,his ,holy ,son4 ,for1 children1 we cannot draw near to ,god to worship ,him1 without the perfect sacrifice of ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 who is the ,lamb of ,god that taketh away the sin of the world4 ,then there was the ,laver of ,brass1 at which the ,priests washed before they went into the ,tabernacle4 ,i cannot tell you1 children1 all that this wonderful ,tabernacle means1 but some day you will be able to understand how it all foreshadowed the loving life1 and glorious work1 of our blessed ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,so when the ,tabernacle was finished1 then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation1 and the glory of the ,lord filled the ,tabernacle4 ,,xlvi4 ,breaking ,god's ,law ,so ,god told ,moses to lead the ,children of ,israel to a mountain called ,sinai1 and there ,he commanded all the congregation to wait while ,he gave them ,his ,holy ,law4 ,moses went up to the top of the mountain to meet ,god1 and to hear ,him speak1 and the people waited in the plains below4 ,but before ,god began to give ,his law to the people1 ,he sent ,moses down again to them to warn them once more not to come near the mountain2 and even ,moses1 who was ,god's faithful servant1 felt that the sight was very terrible1 when he drew near to the thick darkness where ,god was4 ,god had many things to say to ,moses1 and many instructions to give him about making the beautiful ,tabernacle1 where they were to worship ,him2 so that he was up in the mountains a very long time--forty days and forty nights--and by and by the people began to get tired of waiting4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,glory ,,of ,,god4 ,they began to distrust ,god1 and people soon get disobedient who distrust ,god6 ,then they said to ,aaron1 ,make us gods to carry before us1 for as for this ,moses1 we do not know what has become of him4 ,i think ,aaron was very sorry that the people were so foolish and so wicked4 ,but he did as the people asked him4 ,he made them a golden calf for them to worship1 and allowed them to play round it4 ,just as they were shouting and dancing and feasting1 ,moses began to come down from talking with ,god4 ,he held in his hand two pieces or slabs of stone on which ,god ,himself had written ,his ,holy ,law--those ten ,commandments which we often hear read1 and which begin with ,i am the ,lord thy ,god which brought thee out of the ,land of ,egypt1 out of the house of bondage1 thou shalt have no other gods before ,,me4 ,moses was carrying these two slabs of stone1 and he and his servant ,joshua 7who ,i think had waited somewhere on the mountain while ,moses talked with ,god7 came down once more towards the camp4 ,but when they had got within sight of it1 they heard the sound of shouting and singing4 ,then ,moses looked down over the edge of the mountain1 and he saw the golden calf set up1 and the people worshipping it2 and he was so grieved and angry that he cast down the two slabs of stone1 which had been made by ,god1 and written on by ,god1 right out of his hand down the steep mountain side1 and they were broken all to pieces6 ,then ,moses and ,joshua hastened down1 and ,moses stopped the people in their worship of the golden calf4 ,he cast it into the fire and burnt it1 and was very angry with ,aaron and the people4 ,then he went to the ,lord1 and told ,him all about it1 confessing the great sin of the people1 and asking ,him to forgive it4 ,god is very pitiful and of tender mercy2 and though ,he had to punish the people for their sin by sending a plague among them1 yet ,he did forgive them1 and ,he told ,moses to lead the people forward again1 and to make two fresh slabs of stone1 and told him to write ,his law upon them over again4 ,how often we find in our daily lives1 children1 that when we mean to be very good1 after all1 we do not keep to what we had intended to do4 ,the only way is for us to ask ,god to write ,his ,holy ,law in our hearts every day1 and to beg ,him to keep us from doing what would displease ,him4 ,if we trust in our own strength we shall be sure to fail2 but if we look to ,him and truly seek to please ,him1 ,he will help us to become more and more like the ,lord ,jesus4 ,and when we know that we have failed in anything1 let us not wait a single moment1 but lift our hearts to our ,father in heaven1 and ask ,him1 for ,jesus' sake1 to wash away our sin and make us pure and white again in the precious ,blood of ,jesus1 the ,lamb of ,god4 ,,xlvii4 ,a ,great ,victory ,soon after the smiting of the ,rock1 out of which ,god made water to flow for the people's thirst1 another difficulty came4 ,as the great company of the ,children of ,israel travelled on1 some enemies1 called1 ,amalekites1 came out against them1 and tried to conquer them4 ,so ,moses called ,joshua and told him to choose men who could fight1 to go against the ,amalekites2 and that he would go to-morrow to the top of the hill with the ,rod of ,god in his hand4 ,so ,joshua did as ,moses had said to him1 and fought with ,amalek2 and ,moses and ,aaron and ,hur went up to the top of the hill4 ,so ,moses stretched out his hand with the ,rod of ,god in it1 and then the ,children of ,israel prevailed and conquered1 but when he let down his hand1 ,amalek prevailed4 ,but poor ,moses got very weary1 and his hands seemed very heavy1 so that he could not hold them up any longer6 ,but ,aaron and ,hur thought of a very good plan4 ,they took a large stone for ,moses to sit on1 and they stood by him and held up his hands1 one on each side1 and his hands were steady till the sun went down4 ,and ,joshua had a great victory over ,amalek1 because ,god fought for them4 ,and ,god told ,moses to write it down in a book1 and tell ,joshua about it1 that ,he would utterly destroy the ,amalekites4 ,we read afterwards in ,deuteronomy xxv4 #ag1 that ,god had been specially angry with the ,amalekites because they had attacked the ,israelites when they were faint and weary1 and had smitten the hindmost and weak ones in the camp instead of fighting bravely with the strong4 ,it seems to me that we may take this first battle of the ,israelites as a sort of picture of ,satan's temptations and buffetings4 ,he attacks us where we are weakest4 ,he perhaps tells us that ,god has forgotten us for a little while1 that we are like those weaker ,israelites in the camp1 who were particularly exposed to the enemy6 ,then what must we do1 when we feel ,satan is too strong for us8 ,we must1 like ,joshua1 resist with all the fighting power at our disposal2 and like ,moses we must take the ,rod of ,god--the rod of faith and prayer--and go up on the hill top and get nearer ,god6 ,do you wonder what the hill top is for us8 ,it is kneeling in our room and asking ,him to help us4 ,it is looking up with our hearts1 and saying one word of faith to ,jesus6 ,and when they had gained that great victory over ,amalek1 ,moses built an altar to ,god1 and offered a sacrifice1 and he called the name of it-- ,jehovah-,nissi1 which means ,the ,lord our ,banner6 ,here is a hymn which has comforted and cheered numbers of people who have found ,satan--like ,amalek--very strong6 ,why should ,i fear the darkest hour1 ,or tremble at the ,tempter's power8 ,jesus vouchsafes to be my ,tower6 ,though hot the fight1 why quit the field8 ,why must ,i either fly or yield1 ,since ,jesus is my mighty shield8 ,i know not what may soon betide1 ,or how my wants shall be supplied2 ,but ,jesus knows1 and will provide4 ,though sin would fill me with distress1 ,the ,throne of ,grace ,i dare address1 ,since ,jesus is my righteousness4 ,though faint my prayers and cold my love1 ,my steadfast hope shall not remove1 ,while ,jesus intercedes above4 ,against me earth and hell combine3 ,but on my side is power divine3 ,jesus is all1 and ,he is mine6 ,,xlviii4 ,caleb's ,daughter ,the old man whom you see in this picture is ,caleb1 one of the two faithful spies who brought a good report of the land of ,canaan4 ,so when after forty years1 the land was divided among the people1 ,joshua blessed ,caleb and gave him ,hebron or ,kirjath ,arba3 and ,caleb drove out from it three giants1 and he made his home there4 ,there were still many enemies round him1 so ,caleb sent his soldiers to fight against ,kirjath ,sepher1 and promised that the man who took the city should have his daughter ,achsah for his wife4 ,so ,othniel the son of ,kenaz was the successful one4 ,at length the wedding day came4 ,when ,achsah was starting for her husband's home1 she begged ,othniel to ask her father to give her a field as a wedding present4 ,illustration3 ,,he ,,gave ,,her ,,the ,,upper ,,springs ,,and ,,the ,,nether ,,springs4 ,caleb seems to have agreed to this2 but ,achsah knew he was rich as well as loving2 so she alighted off her ass1 and ran to his side1 ,give me a blessing6 she said4 ,you have given me a south land--give me also springs of water6 ,and he gave her the upper springs and the nether springs4 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,jesus says to us to-day1 ,how much more shall your ,father which is in heaven1 give the ,holy ,spirit to them that ask ,him4 ,,xlix4 ,the ,first ,king ,so the child ,samuel grew up and became a prophet of the ,lord1 and he judged the people and helped them in all their difficulties1 by encouraging them to seek ,god and trust in ,him4 ,but the ,children of ,israel often turned back from the ,lord and followed their own ways1 even making idols for themselves like the ,canaanites had4 ,this grieved ,samuel very much1 because he knew that it would make ,god very angry with them4 ,at length ,samuel was getting to be an old man1 and the people got tired of being judged by his sons1 who were not very good and faithful young men1 and they asked ,samuel to make a king to rule them1 and go to war with them as they saw other nations do4 ,this was the greatest grief of all to ,samuel1 because the ,lord was their ,king6 ,but nothing that he could say would turn them from their wish to have a king whom they could see1 and who would lead them to battle against their enemies4 ,the ,lord told ,samuel that he could do as the people asked2 but that in choosing an earthly king they had rejected the ,lord1 who had brought them up out of the land of ,egypt1 and delivered them from all their foes4 ,there was at this time a man of the tribe of ,benjamin whose name was ,saul4 ,he was a very handsome young man1 and was so tall that he was head and shoulders above everyone else4 ,his father's name was ,kish4 ,one day1 the asses belonging to ,kish strayed away and got lost1 and ,saul and his servant went a very long way to seek for them4 ,they searched for a long time1 but could not find them4 ,at last1 the servant suggested that they should go to the prophet who lived near the place to which they had travelled1 for he thought perhaps he might tell them where to find the asses4 ,so they came to the city where ,samuel the prophet lived1 and when they made enquiries1 they found that ,samuel was going to offer a sacrifice there that very day4 ,now the ,lord had told ,samuel that ,he would bring the young man who was to be king to him1 that he might anoint him4 ,so ,samuel met ,saul and invited him to dinner1 and told him that he wanted to speak to him presently1 and that he should go back to-morrow4 ,and as for the asses1 he said1 that were lost three days ago1 they are found6 ,so when they had eaten their meal1 ,samuel and ,saul went on the housetop and ,samuel talked with him for a long time2 and early the next morning ,samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on ,saul's head1 and told him he was anointed to be ,king over ,god's inheritance4 ,he told him also that he was to go to ,gilgal and wait there seven days1 until he came down to him to offer a sacrifice to the ,lord4 ,but now1 children1 we come to ,saul's first disobedience4 ,saul waited seven days1 but he forgot that ,god's prophet had said wait seven days1 even till ,i come to offer the sacrifice1 and when ,samuel delayed to come for a few hours1 ,saul took upon himself to offer the sacrifice4 ,then ,samuel came6 ,and ,saul hurried out to meet him4 ,but ,samuel drew back from his greeting1 and told him he had been very disobedient1 and that the ,lord would choose someone else to be the king2 one who would keep ,god's commandments and love ,him with all his heart6 ,so ,samuel went back to ,gilgal1 and ,saul went to fight against the ,philistines4 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,by and by ,god sent another message to ,saul by ,samuel the prophet1 and this was the message3 ,thus saith the ,lord of ,hosts1 ,i remember what ,amalek did to ,israel 4 4 4 when he came up from ,egypt1 now go and smite ,amalek1 and utterly destroy all that they have1 and spare them not4 ,so ,saul went to fight against ,amalek and conquered them2 but again he was disobedient4 ,he saved the king and did not kill him as he had been commanded1 and he also saved all the best of the sheep and oxen4 ,then the ,lord said to ,samuel1 ,it repenteth ,me that ,i have made ,saul king1 for he hath not kept ,my commandments4 ,and it grieved ,samuel1 and he cried unto the ,lord all that night4 ,and when ,samuel rose early in the morning to meet ,saul1 the king hurried to him and told him he had done all that the ,lord had told him to do6 ,but ,samuel stopped him4 ,what is the meaning of this bleating of sheep that ,i hear1 then8 he asked4 ,and ,saul said1 ,the people saved the best to sacrifice to ,god6 ,and ,samuel said1 ,do you think that the ,lord has as much pleasure in sacrifice as in obeying the voice of the ,lord8 ,behold1 to obey is better than sacrifice1 and to hearken than the fat of rams4 ,because thou hast rejected the word of the ,lord1 ,he hath also rejected thee from being king4 ,and as ,samuel sorrowfully turned away1 he knew that he should never see ,saul's face again4 ,this is a very sad and solemn story1 children4 ,let us all be aware of little disobediences1 lest they should grow into greater ones4 ,god will dwell in the humble and contrite heart1 which trembles at his word4 ,he will give grace to the lowly4 ,let us pray1 as ,david did in ,psalm cxix41 ,with my whole heart have ,i sought ,thee3 ,o let me not wander from ,thy commandments6 ,and then this promise shall be ours3 ,he that doeth the will of ,god abideth for ever6